Property Blog

LBTT: The Scottish Alternative to Stamp Duty Land TaxPosted on May 09, 2013 by Helen McGrath  | 0 CommentsIn 2015, the Scottish Government is set to exercise for the first time its power to set and collect a proportion of its own revenue by introducing the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) as a replacement to the current UK-wide system of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). There has been recent press about the new system as the Bill to introduce the new tax has been debated in the Scottish Parliament.The new LBTT will come into play whenever a property is purchased...

5 Things To Watch Out For In Your Lease After Leaving An IncubatorPosted on Mar 18, 2013 by Helen McGrath  | 0 Comments (Photo credit: dynamosquito under a 2.0 Creative Commons Attribution Licence) Incubator spaces, such as those offered at the Alba Innovation Centre, TechCube, BioCity and the various Universities amongst others, can offer a fantastic opportunity for startup businesses to get off the ground within a nurturing and supportive environment. By offering a full range of services and utilities for a set monthly fee, they provide both certainty on costs during those difficult early months when finances are stretched while also allowing flexibility...

Why You Can't Always Rely on Termination Dates in LeasesPosted on Aug 13, 2012 by Helen McGrath  | 0 CommentsSometimes as lawyers we forget that rules which we are very familiar with and come across on a day-to-day basis may not necessarily even be in our clients’ contemplation. I recently had to explain to a very experienced client in the leasing market that, just because he was approaching the termination date in his lease this did not necessarily mean that the lease would come to an end at that date.He seemed genuinely shocked, given that the parties had spent a great...

Lease Negotiations: Top Five TipsPosted on Jun 13, 2012 by Helen McGrath  | 0 CommentsWe recently held a series of ‘Elevator Briefings’ for members of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce. To ensure maximum time for networking (and wine) by the attendees, we spoke for no more than 5 minutes and gave our '5 Top Tips for Lease Negotiations':-1)      Maximise FlexibilityThe commercial world is volatile at the moment and your circumstances may easily change over the 2, 3, 5 or 10 year course of a Lease but that does not mean you can’t insert clauses to protect yourself against the worst...

Lazing on a Sunny AfternoonPosted on May 22, 2012 by Helen McGrath  | 0 CommentsAs a commercial property solicitor, it is unfortunately in my nature to spot potential hazards for property owners and tenants around every corner, whether ‘on duty’ or not. Walking through the centre of Edinburgh this week, you can’t help but notice the scores of people enjoying a large glass of rose or beer in the long awaited sunshine.After the initial thought of ‘I wish I were you’, the next thing which popped into my mind was whether the establishments in question, having whisked tables and chairs onto...