Rent Reviews & Lease Renewals in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire

Rent reviews and lease renewals can have a major impact on your income, your costs and the value of your property. Get them right and you protect your position for years to come. Get them wrong and the effects can last for the full length of a lease.

At Rory Mack Associates, we take the complexity out of the process. Since 1992, our RICS-registered Chartered Surveyors have advised landlords and tenants across the office, industrial and retail sectors, negotiating fair terms backed by detailed local market evidence.

Whether you’re a landlord looking to secure the right rent or a tenant wanting to avoid paying more than you should, we’ll handle the negotiations so you can focus on your business.

Request a Quote Today

Lease Renewals

The end of a lease is an important moment for both landlord and tenant. It’s a chance to agree a new rent, review the lease terms and plan for the future.

The Landlord and Tenant Act 1954

Many business leases are protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. This gives qualifying tenants the right to request a new lease when their current one ends, and sets out a formal procedure that both parties must follow.

The process involves strict notices and deadlines, including Section 25 notices served by landlords and Section 26 requests served by tenants. Missing a date or serving the wrong notice can seriously weaken your position, so early advice is always worthwhile.

How We Help With Lease Renewals

Our lease renewal service can include:

Clear advice on your rights and obligations under the 1954 Act
Research into current rents and market activity in your area
Advice on suitable lease terms, including length, break clauses and repairing obligations
Assessing interim rent where relevant
Negotiating renewal terms on your behalf through to agreement

Rent Reviews

A rent review allows the rent to be adjusted at set points during a lease, usually every three or five years. For landlords, it’s an opportunity to bring income in line with the market. For tenants, it’s a chance to make sure any increase is fair and justified.

Types of Rent Review

Not every lease works the same way. The most common types are:

Open market reviews, where the rent is set by reference to comparable lettings
Index-linked reviews, tied to inflation measures such as RPI or CPI
Fixed increases, where uplifts are agreed at the start of the lease

The exact wording of your rent review clause matters. Assumptions and disregards within the lease can significantly affect the rent, so we always review the lease in detail before advising.

How We Help With Rent Reviews

We act for landlords and tenants on an individual basis, according to the terms of your lease. For landlords, we focus on maximising rental income and asset value. For tenants, we work to keep outgoings fair and manageable.

Our rent review service includes:

Reviewing your lease and rent review clause
Gathering and analysing local rental evidence
Advising on a realistic rent and negotiation strategy
Negotiating directly with the other party or their surveyor

Restructuring a Lease

Circumstances change for landlords and tenants alike. A business may need more or less space, or a landlord may want to secure a longer-term income. In some cases, restructuring the lease benefits both parties.

We can advise on lease regears, surrenders and variations, weighing up the factors that work for and against you. Our market knowledge and negotiation experience help make sure your objectives are met.

Disputes and Third Party Referral

Where agreement can’t be reached, most leases allow for the matter to be referred to an Arbitrator or Independent Expert, known as the Third Party.

We’re highly experienced in preparing expert reports and submissions, setting out the key issues and evidence clearly. We also advise clients on how to manage costs and reduce risk at this stage, as third party proceedings can become expensive without the right approach.

Why Choose Rory Mack Associates?

Over 30 years of experience

Advising on commercial property across Staffordshire and Cheshire

RICS-registered

Chartered Surveyors you can trust

Local market knowledge

Built on decades of deals and evidence in North Staffordshire

Acting for landlords and tenants

So we understand both sides of the negotiation

A hands-off service

For clients who want the hard work taken away

Areas We Cover

We provide rent review and lease renewal advice across Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire, including:

Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Stone, Leek, Kidsgrove, Biddulph, Cheadle, Alton, Eccleshall, Madeley, Trentham, Draycott, Cannock, Crewe, Nantwich, Congleton, Sandbach, Middlewich, Holmes Chapel, Winsford, Northwich, Macclesfield, Buxton, Market Drayton, Newport, Shrewsbury, Telford and Wem.

Our Other Services

Business Rates

Compulsory Purchases

Dilapidations

Property Management

You may also find our guide on how to increase rental yield on commercial property useful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ideally six to twelve months before the review date or lease expiry. This gives time to gather market evidence, serve any notices correctly and negotiate without pressure.

It depends on your lease. Many commercial leases include upward-only rent review clauses, meaning the rent can stay the same or increase but not fall. Others allow the rent to move in either direction. We’ll check your lease and explain where you stand.

If your lease is protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, you can usually stay in occupation on the same terms until a new lease is agreed or the tenancy is properly ended. If your lease is contracted out of the Act, you may have no automatic right to stay, so it’s important to take advice early.

You don’t have to use one, but the other party often will. A Chartered Surveyor brings market evidence, negotiation experience and an understanding of how rent review clauses are interpreted, which can make a significant difference to the outcome.

Yes. We advise landlords and tenants, although never both parties on the same matter. Working on both sides gives us a rounded view of how negotiations play out in practice.

Speak to Our Team

For expert advice on rent reviews or lease renewals, call us on 01782 715725 or email enquiries@rorymack.co.uk. One of our team will be happy to help.

Request a Quote Today