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Business
Space (Office and Industrial)
The Thames Valley is recognised as one of the
most productive and dynamic business regions outside of central
London and boasts UK and/or European headquarters for many
of the large US corporates and other international organisations.
Within the Thames Valley region, each of the
principal towns has its own unique characteristics and the
wealth of experience we have gained across the region allows
us to identify the most appropriate means of marketing for
any one location. The network of business contacts we have
developed over the years allows us to get into the very heart
of the market place and achieve results on time and within
budget.
For
further information please contact
Stephen
Head MA MRICS
on
+ 44 (0)118 955 7089 or s.head@hicksbaker.co.uk
Retail
and Leisure Agency
Our
specialist Retail and Leisure Department provides both building
owners and occupiers access to a specialist market place where
we are able to undertake both disposals and acquisitions with
equal success. The department is retained to act for retailers
on a nationwide basis, as well as acting locally/regionally
in Reading and the Thames Valley.
Above all, good market intelligence is the key
to a successful retail department as many properties are traded
off market.
Guide
to the Acquisition of Commercial Property
For further information
please contact
Fiona
Brownfoot MRICS
on
+ 44 (0)118 955 7083 or f.brownfoot@hicksbaker.co.uk
Relocation
and Acquisition
The relocation of any business is a major upheaval,
although acquiring new premises can lead to dramatic improvements
in productivity. Equally, poorly chosen new premises can lead
to long-term financial difficulties that drain vital resources
from the business.
Our approach to business relocation relies
upon developing strong links with the key decision makers
and obtaining a thorough understanding of the nature of the
business and the objectives for the future.
Long
before any premises are short listed, we have established
an understanding of our client’s working practises,
an appreciation of staffing and recruitment needs, looked
at models for business growth and established our client’s
corporate ethos.
Working together we will then start the identification
process and start to tackle issues such as long term financial
liabilities/lease flexibility, exit strategies that consider
business growth/reduction and the appropriate choice of premises
to meet business needs now and in the future.
In conjunction with other carefully chosen organisations,
we can provide space planning and fit out advice, allowing
businesses to operate more effectively and to keep the property
overheads as low as possible.
For
further information please contact
Roger
Hicks FRICS
on
+ 44 (0)118 955 7080 or r.hicks@hicksbaker.co.uk
Development
Effective
development advice draws together many property disciplines,
including agency and marketing, valuation, market intelligence
and research, together with a full appreciation of local and
regional planning policy.
We
have sold or acquired a whole range of development situations
over the years and have developed specialist skills in this
field.
For further information
please contact
Roger
Hicks FRICS
on
+ 44 (0)118 955 7080 or r.hicks@hicksbaker.co.uk
Investments Sales and Acquisitions
Our specialist investment team is able to appraise
all opportunities and provide clients with detailed financial
information regarding likely performance in the short, medium
and long term.
We are often aware of opportunities that are
available off market; this underlying market intelligence
is the driver behind our success.
For
further information please contact
Nigel
Baker BSc(Hons) FRICS ACIArb
on
+ 44 (0)118 955 7081 or n.baker@hicksbaker.co.uk
or
Giles
Blagden LLB (Hons) MRICS
on
+ 44 (0)118 955 7082 or g.blagden@hicksbaker.co.uk
Rent Reviews and
Lease Renewals
Beyond any other field of commercial property,
rent reviews and lease renewals are bound by statutory legislation
and case law, principally developed over the past 50 years
or so.
Rent
reviews became an increasing feature of business life with
the advent of inflation during the 1960s and now are common
to most commercial leases.
The artificial nature of the rent review hypothesis
has formed more case law than any other field and therefore
the need for specialist knowledge is absolute.
A rent
review clause can turn on a single word or phase and the implications
of this can be significant in terms of an occupier’s
long term liability, or an investor's return.
We
pride ourselves on in depth knowledge but also an awareness
of the market as ultimately comparables are used to determine
base rents.
Lease renewals require close co-operation with
our client’s legal representatives and again a thorough
understanding of the appropriate legislation.
For further information
please contact
Nigel
Baker BSc (Hons) FRICS ACIArb
on + 44 (0)118 955 7081 or n.baker@hicksbaker.co.uk
or
Giles
Blagden LLB (Hons) MRICS
on
+ 44 (0)118 955 7082 or g.blagden@hicksbaker.co.uk
Arbitration
Arbitration is a dispute resolution process
where two opposing parties are provided with the opportunity
to put their case to an impartial third party who is empowered
to make an authoritative judgement which the parties may
then rely upon.
The statutory basis governing arbitration is
the Arbitration Act 1996. This Act enables the parties
to agree how they
wish to deal with their dispute. Where they cannot agree
the arbitrator has powers to determine the process. The
overall object is that disputes should be resolved
fairly without
unreasonable delay or expense.
In property matters the
arbitration process is often used to resolve disputes involving
rent reviews, option
agreements,
lease terms, and many other disputes arising out of
contractual agreements requiring an arbitral process to resolving
issues.
The RICS appoint arbitrators through its Dispute
Resolution Service. Nigel Baker is an accredited arbitrator
who
receives such appointments.
For further information
please contact
Nigel
Baker BSc (Hons) FRICS ACIArb
on + 44 (0)118 955 7081
or n.baker@hicksbaker.co.uk
Property Management and Consultancy
Sound
property management relies upon attention to detail and effective
systems to ensure that at all times the stringent regulations
that apply to owners and occupiers alike are met. Beyond this
though, asset values can be maximised by lateral thinking
and the ability to spot opportunities to improve income and
capital value.
We have invested in good people and the best
IT to offer a full range of management services. We can offer
the following;
- Portfolio Management
- Rent and service charge collection
- Service charge budgeting
- Health and safety advice
- Insurance premiums reviews
- Investment strategy
For
further information please contact
Giles
Blagden LLB (Hons) MRICS
on
+ 44 (0)118 955 7082 or g.blagden@hicksbaker.co.uk
Valuation
We
can provide valuations for all sorts of purposes, including
secured lending and for inclusion in statutory accounts.
The
new RICS Appraisal and Valuations Standards Manual provides
the basis for undertaking formal valuations and is mandatory
for all members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
The Manual sets exacting standards and recognises the fundamental
importance of valuation advice in business life.
For further information
please contact
Nigel
Baker BSc (Hons) FRICS ACIArb
on
+ 44 (0)118 955 7081 or n.baker@hicksbaker.co.uk
Business Rates
Since rates represent a significant occupational
cost to businesses, often only exceeded by rental commitments,
it is an area which should be scrutinised by all rates payers.
Active and thorough ‘rates management’ can lead
to substantial monetary savings regardless of the size of
the rateable value.
Opportunities exist for challenging the rateable value itself,
which forms the basis of the rates payable calculation, on
a number of grounds and in many cases reductions can be backdated.
The increasing complexity of rating legislation in relation
to appeals, reliefs, certification and billing matters provides
considerable further scope for realising rates savings.
For further information please contact
Linda Staker MRICS IRRV ACIArb
on +44 (0)118 955 7088 or l.staker@hicksbaker.co.uk
Other Services
We
offer a full range of support services to the main services
outlined briefly above, so please contact us for further advice
on all property matters.
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