HM Insights

Legal Insights & Industry Updates

Life, business and the law

The law never stands still, and the way it applies to you and your organisation is constantly evolving. Our people are on top of these developments and can keep you up to date with some of the most interesting aspects of these changes. Check out our articles and updates for our perspective on issues that might affect you.

Latest Commercial property articles

  • New rules that every foreign investor needs to know before investing in the UK

    New rules that every foreign investor needs to know before investing in the UK

    By Stephen Chan

    The UK Government’s National Security and Investment Bill introduces a new screening process for foreign investment in the UK. The rapid advancement of technological, economic and geopolitical change mean that wider reform of existing powers is considered necessary to protect the UK from potential threats. The new rules don’t come into force fully until 4 January 2022 but, as some of the provisions are retrospective, the changes are immediately relevant to businesses in certain sectors.

  • Prescriptive claims on land – filling the missing piece of a title

    Prescriptive claims on land – filling the missing piece of a title

    By Ann Gallagher

    There is nothing more frustrating to a client than to hear that they do not have title to all they believe they should. A difficult conversation is to be had to explain that while they may have used the land for as long as they can remember, they don’t in fact own it and fixing the issue could cost thousands with potentially no certainty that they will reach the outcome they desire.

  • Turnover Leases: a flexible alternative to open market rents

    Turnover Leases: a flexible alternative to open market rents

    By David Bell

    The Covid-19 pandemic has caused huge disruption in the retail and hospitality sectors and with businesses often unable to trade at previous levels and cover their costs, landlords and tenants are increasingly looking at ways of restructuring existing lease arrangements to deal with the unprecedented market conditions which now exist.

  • COVID-19 and Tenant Insolvencies

    COVID-19 and Tenant Insolvencies

    By Caroline Summers

    It seems hard to believe that when the property industry named 2018 the year of the CVA we would now be looking back to those times as the good old days.  Fast forward to January 2021 with the UK in a second lockdown, the COVID 19 pandemic is having wide ranging economic repercussions.

  • Coronavirus: protection from termination of commercial leases in Scotland - update

    Coronavirus: protection from termination of commercial leases in Scotland - update

    By Caroline Summers

    Protections for commercial tenants that were introduced by the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act have been further extended to 30 September 2021.  The Act protects commercial tenants who lease property in Scotland from termination for non-payment of rent by extending the usual pre-irritancy notice period set out in the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1985 from 14 days to 14 weeks.