Our specialist and experienced team offer a full range of legal services to property guardianship businesses. Importantly, after working with property guardianship businesses for many years, we fully understand how your business model works.
Our specialist team, has been described as ‘an encyclopaedia of knowledge on the complex issues of property guardianship.’
Property guardianship is an alternative housing model in the UK and across Europe. It involves individuals protecting temporary empty buildings by way of their occupation to prevent squatters and damage to the empty buildings. The demise of the high street has caused vast amounts of empty, wasted and under-utilised space, and the cost of rent in the private rented sector is at an all-time high.
The property guardianship model offers individuals (known as “property guardians”) the ability to secure temporary housing for comparatively low cost compared to private market rent, and the building owner the security that comes with having someone, or multiple persons, occupy its buildings.
How we can help you
Our specialists can assist with:
- Drafting and reviewing standard documents such as licence agreements, terms and conditions and commercial agreements with building owner. We are frequently instructed by property guardianship providers during negotiations with building owners to assist with the process.
- Preparing notices to determine and/or warning letters to guardians.
- Commencing trespass proceedings against guardians who do not leave. We have comprehensive experience of usual “licence v tenancy” arguments made by property guardians. We provide commercial advice throughout the court proceedings so you make an informed decision about how to proceed.
- Advising in respect of enforcement of possession orders or money judgments for licence fee arrears and legal costs.
- Dealing with potential commercial disputes with property owners for failure to hand back properties on time.
- Employment advice for personnel issues.
Adding value to your business
As sector specialists, we are able to offer in-house training to ensure staff at all levels understand how the business model works and best practices to minimise the risk of inadvertently creating tenancies. We will also issue free email alerts via Property Guardianship Insight to subscribers on matters affecting the property guardianship sector.
To talk about how we can help, please contact Amy Castleman
