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Our solicitors will work closely with you throughout your development project from initial acquisition, through development, to the sale of completed residential or commercial properties.
Property development encompasses a wide range of legal issues. At Wilford Smith, we are fully aware that for our clients in the property development sector there are numerous challenges to overcome on the road to a successful project completion. We make it our business to quickly and effectively identify any potential impediments to our clients’ ambitions and see that these are resolved without delay.
Our team are experienced in overcoming issues with title, investigating historic uses, providing guidance in relation to land rights and covenants, and advising on regulatory compliance. With a focus on future marketability, our property development solicitors will use their broad experience and understanding of the development sector to work with you to identify your commercial objectives and deliver proactive and effective solutions.
Wilford Smith provides a high level, personalised legal service in support of all areas of property development. Our expertise include:
Joint ventures offer a vehicle for attracting capital, sharing expertise and distributing risk when undertaking substantial property development projects. For those embarking on joint ventures, quality legal advice is essential to ensure the project runs smoothly and that you are able to negotiate terms favourable for your business. Joint ventures can be complex, often involving collaboration on a wide range of specific business areas for each project. As such, you should get expert legal help at an early stage to give you the best chance of meeting your commercial objectives.
Our property development solicitors will work with you to draft a detailed and comprehensive legal agreement to regulate your business relationships and to make sure that all parties to a joint venture have a clear understanding of how they will work together. We can provide tailored advice on how your joint venture should be structured, for example by establishing whether a limited company or a limited liability partnership would best serve your business’s needs. The rights and responsibilities of each party will be clearly defined so that your investment is protected, while liabilities will be set out to offer assurance if anything goes wrong.
Our experienced team of property development solicitors can advise on the wide range of matters associated with the acquisition and disposal of commercial freehold and leasehold properties. Whether you are undertaking a standard land acquisition or a complex development deal involving many parties, Wilford Smith can offer clear and strategic advice on matters such as option and planning agreements, conditional contracts and infrastructure agreements.
Whether you are a landowner seeking to carry out development on land that you own, or a developer looking to commence work on a commercial or residential project, it is essential to have the right legal advice. Wilford Smith will work with you to negotiate and draft the legal agreement that will determine your relationship with the partners to your development project to ensure your interests are best represented. Our team have extensive experience in the drafting of development agreements, covering all areas including warranties, planning permissions, development costs and insurance.
Our property development solicitors work with landowners and developers to draft agreements which cater for the specific circumstances of the development project at hand. Examples of these agreements include options agreements and overage agreements. If you are a developer hoping to secure land for development but are looking to minimise risk in the event of planning permission for your development not being granted, an option agreement offers a legally binding solution. For landowners, an option agreement ensures an interested buyer in the future at times when the property market is weak, and the safety net of a non-refundable deposit should a prospective buyer pull out of any purchase. Overage agreements, which incorporate an additional payment should an agreed event occur, allow sellers to receive the best price for their land and buyers to reduce risk in the event that other factors prevent a piece of land reaching its maximum value. The property development team at Wilford Smith are experts in drafting such agreements to ensure that our clients are protected in the long term.
Seeking finance in support of your development project can be a challenging and complex process. With this being such a fundamental aspect in getting a project off the ground you should receive sound legal advice from the outset. The property development solicitors at Wilford Smith can assist funders and borrowers in arranging financing for any development project, including conventional facilities secured on property, acquisition and investment funding, advice on loans documentation, and refinancing.
Client care is at the heart of everything we do at Wilford Smith. Our property development team provides our clients with a high level service tailored to your business, covering all areas of property development. We will thoroughly analyse the relevant documentation so that transactions are completed quickly and effectively, and we are always on hand to answer any queries you may have at any stage. Our solicitors boast a wealth of experience when it comes to negotiating on behalf of our clients in the property development sector. We appreciate that our clients want to be kept informed on the progress of their business with us. Our team will keep you up to date with any developments so that your project is completed efficiently. Through our high level of client care, we aim to make your transaction as straight forward and stress-free as possible.
Contact our specialist Property Development Team today on 0808 164 1349 to find out how we can help with your project.
