Renting

Positive response: the site is the second Hickory’s has taken with Ei Commercial Properties

Ei and Hickory's agrees sequel deal

By Georgina Townshend

Ei Commercial Properties has "further strengthened its relationship" with barbecue restaurant chain Hickory’s Smokehouse following a "major £1m-plus investment" in Merseyside.

Unnecessary stress: Robin Wheeler speaks out over his experience with Marston's

Publican condemns Marston's over 'stress' of missing deposit

By Georgina Townshend

A publican has spoken out over the strain Marston's has caused him over his missing £5,000 deposit, and said that, based on his experience, it is "no wonder good operators are deserting the pub industry in droves”.

Huge concerns: MP Adrian Bailey slams Paul Newby and pubcos

Pubs code adjudicator and pubcos slammed by MP

By Georgina Townshend

An MP has blasted the behaviour of pubcos and the work of the pubs code adjudicator in a Westminster Hall debate, calling for adjudicator Paul Newby to be replaced and for a tougher approach to legislation.

 “Thorny issue”: Many tenants don't have sufficient funds to keep investing in their property

State of affairs: The cost of dilapidation

By Michelle Perrett

Licensees need to be aware of the potentially huge costs of dilapidations but, if maintenance and upkeep of a site is taken care of regularly, there should be little reason to be overly concerned

Fleurets' Sutcliffe: some rents are jumping to where we thought headline rents were maybe four to five years ago

Property: Average free of tie leases up as much as 22%

By Michelle Perrett

Rising rents, signs the London market has reached a tipping point, and the effects of Brexit, the national living wage and the new rating system are all covered in Fleurets’ annual rental survey.

Lease renewal: procedures should not be embarked on without the benefit of professional advice

Property advice: Give lease a chance

By Michelle Perrett

Lease renewals are a vital part of a publican’s business development, but procedures under the Landlord and Tenant Act are fraught with potential problems and shouldn’t be embarked on without the benefit of professional advice.

Key factors: It is crucial to get it right first time when deciding on tenancy or lease

Which is best, a tenancy or a lease?

By Michelle Perrett

Your knowledge of the pub business and how much money you have to spend are key factors in deciding whether you come into the trade on a tenancy, lease or a freehold. It is crucial to get it right first time

MRO concerns: evidence given to PCA was 'comprehensive', says PAS in letter to BBPA

PAS slams BBPA response to PCA's MRO report as ‘utter rubbish’

By Claire Churchard

The Pubs Advisory Service (PAS) has written an open letter criticising the response from the head of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) to a report providing evidence that pub companies are blocking tied tenants’ access to the market rent only...

Concerned: pubs code adjudicator Paul Newby vows to investigate MRO issues further

PCA to confront pub owning businesses over MRO blocking

By Claire Churchard

Pub-owning businesses (POBs) are blocking tied tenants’ access to the market rent only option (MRO) and going against the spirit of the pubs code, according to a report commissioned by the pubs code adjudicator’s office.

Open invitation: pubgoers are urged to contribute to a consultation for a Scottish pubs code

BBPA sets out pubs code system in Scotland

By Helen Gilbert

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has moved to clarify suggestions that there is no code governing pubs in Scotland and warned that the legislative route is ‘not always the best solution’. 

Costly proceedings: the Woodman pub is going through MRO arbitration

MRO fight to cost licensee £25,000

By Michelle Perrett

A licensee, fighting his case for the market-rent-only (MRO) option, said it is going to cost him £25,000 despite using the pubs code adjudicator (PCA). 

Projected turnover: forecasts for newly leased pubs have risen by 14%

Newly leased pubs' turnover forecast up 14%

By Georgina Townshend

Turnover forecasts for newly leased pubs have risen by 14% for the next two years due to “improved business confidence”, according to the latest data from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Clarified: The Government has confirmed that stocking rights are still applicable to MRO tenancies

Stocking rights clarification for MRO tenants

By Liam Coleman

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has confirmed that stocking rights can be imposed on tenants by pubcos, even if the tenant has taken on the market-rent-only (MRO) option.

Pubs code arbitration figures six months in

Request for pubs code arbitration on the rise

By Liam Coleman

Figures released by pubs code adjudicator (PCA) Paul Newby show that there have been, on average, more than 20 requests for him to step in and adjudicate every month since the pubs code became law six months ago.

Pubs code and pubs code adjudicator analysis

Pubs code

Cracking the pubs code - Is it working?

By Ed Bedington

Since the launch of the pubs code, the opportunity for licensees to break away from their pub company has been on offer. But has the system been working to the benefit of all parties so far?

Pubs code adjudicator releases first statistics

Pubs code

Pubs code adjucator inundated with arbitration requests

By Liam Coleman

The first figures released by pubs code adjudicator (PCA), Paul Newby, show that his office received 79 requests for arbitration in just the first four months of the pubs code being law.

Enterprise licensees requesting MRO stats

Pubs code

94 Enterprise licensees request MRO quote

By James Wallin, MCA

Almost a third of Enterprise licensees that have had an MRO trigger since the legislation came into force have requested a quote for the market rent-only option.

Punch licensees: some 21 requests for the MRO option are under review

MRO

40 Punch licensees request MRO statistics

By James Wallin, MCA

Punch has revealed 40 licensees have asked what the difference in costs would be if they decided to take the market rent-only option (MRO) since the pubs code came into force in July.

Does the rent review system need a rethink?

Rent review

Does the rent review system need a rethink?

By Trevor Watson from Davis Coffer Lyons

The rent review process came under scrutiny from senior decision makers of the licensed property trade at last week's Henry Stewart Leisure and Licensed Property Conference, where many operators suggested the current system was failing.

Understanding the voluntary pubs code

Voluntary pubs code

Understanding the voluntary pubs code

By Rachel Thompson, commercial property solicitor at Gordons LLP

With three new voluntary codes of practice introduced to govern the operation of tied public houses for companies with fewer than 500 tied premises, here is the basics of what the codes cover

How to avoid a dilapidations disaster

MA Property

How to avoid a dilapidations disaster

By Kevin Marsh, director of licensed leisure at Savills

A dilapidations bill can be a crippling expense at the end of a tenancy. Can that expense be avoided by something as simple as keeping the pub in a good state of repair?

MRO: More roadshows for tenants

Events

MRO: More roadshows for tenants

By James Evison

More road shows have been announced by PAS and the ALMR, BII & FLVA following the first successful round of MRO workshops.

Outraged campaigners claim pubs code 'still not ready'

Pubs code

Outraged campaigners claim pubs code 'still not ready'

By Oli Gross

Pubs code campaigners are outraged at the announced consultation into how the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) will investigate breaches of the code, claiming the legislation is still effectively ‘not ready’.

Mixed fortunes for licensees seeking MRO

Mixed fortunes for licensees seeking MRO

By Oli Gross

Tenants with unresolved rent reviews from before the pubs code was implemented are having mixed fortunes in their attempts to take up the market rent-only option (MRO).

Scottish pubs code published

Code of practice

Scottish pubs code published

By Oli Gross

A pubs code for tenanted and leased pubcos in Scotland has been published.

How should the pub property industry feel about the MRO?

Property

How should the pub property industry feel about the MRO?

By Paul Tallentyre

Whether you have a free of tie or a tied lease, the impending market rent-only option (MRO) is likely to provide some profound and interesting outcomes for market values. Davis Coffer Lyons’ executive director of pubs and bars, Paul Tallentyre, discusses...

Rent reviews: Options for the negotiation process

Property

Rent reviews: Options for the negotiation process

By Michelle Perrett

So, crunch time has arrived. A new rent has been proposed by your pubco, and you’re not at all happy with the figure. In the second part of this two-part rent review series, Michelle Perrett looks at your options for the crucial negotiation process.

Preparing for the rent review fight

Advice

Preparing for the rent review fight

By Michelle Perrett

The term ‘rent review’ can strike fear into the heart of any licensee. Michelle Perrett finds out how to negotiate the best possible deal in the first of this two-part series.

Enterprise sees 5.2% growth in free-of-tie pubs

Pubcos

Enterprise sees 5.2% growth in free-of-tie pubs

By James Evison

Enterprise Inns has seen growth of 5.2% in its free-of-tie business and 1.8% from its tenanted and leased business in like-for-like net income for the first half of the year, the pubco has announced. 

RICS: Average new lease rent up 3% year-on-year

RICS Pub Benchmarking survey

RICS: Average new lease rent up 3% year-on-year

By Oli Gross

The average rent on a new lease was £29,253 in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2015, up by more than 3% year-on-year, according to the latest figures from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ Pub Benchmarking Survey.

2015 review: the pubs code debate

Legislation

2015 review: the pubs code debate

By James Evison

It was a long year in parliament for the pub sector and the potentially life-changing impact of the pubs code legislation. James Evison looks back at an emotive year for the industry.

Pub property predictions for 2016 in the freehold and leasehold market

Pub property predictions for 2016

By Ben Winstanley

It's been a promising year for the leisure property market as confidence continues to return. We ask two agents for their thoughts on 2015 and what the year ahead has in store.