Landed Estates & Country Homes
Our Landed Estates & Country Homes team leads the field in the Thames Valley for clear analysis, practical solutions and technical expertise.
We advise a large number of clients on rural, residential, commercial and development issues affecting their estate or business. Our experienced agricultural and rural land, residential conveyancing, and wills, trusts and estates teams are used to working collaboratively on high value rural property transactions. We bring together the combined expertise of specialist lawyers with many years of experience dealing with the complex legal issues relating to landed estates and country homes. This includes advice on:
- Rural Property – Transactions relating to land and estates including sales and acquisitions, conditional contracts, the registration of land, establishing rights and obligations, advising on adverse possession, granting easements, licences and farm business tenancies and advising on Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies.
- Country Homes – Buying or selling high value rural properties ranging from country homes to country estates.
- Private client services for landowners – Estate/ Succession planning, including advising on tax, lifetime structuring, trusts and Wills.
- Development of rural land – Preparing and negotiating option, promotion, and joint venture agreements, overage agreements, s.106 agreements and unilateral undertakings and sales from landowners to developers.
- Renewable energy and Biodiversity Net Gain projects – Acting for landowners in granting wind, solar, anaerobic digestion, and battery storage leases, power purchase agreements, BNG agreements and conservation covenants.
- Real estate – Drafting and negotiating service occupancy agreements for employees and commercial tenancies acting for the Landlord including offices and converted barns, warehouses and livery businesses.
- Lending and finance – Advising on lending facilities, real estate finance, property development funding and debt restructurings.
Our wider Landed Estates and Country Homes team can also provide advice on the following:
- Dispute resolution -Managing contentious issues concerning agricultural, commercial and residential property including disputes relating to option or promotion agreements, conditional sale contracts, overage agreements, covenants and rights.
- Employment advice -Advising on litigation, difficult exits of employees, the enforcement of restrictive covenants and day to day HR advice on matters such as redundancies and dismissals.
- Family – Advising on complex family law proceedings concerning high value assets, wealth preservation before marriage, divorces, separation agreements, cohabitation agreements and private law children matters.
- Acting for clients selling a listed Georgian house with fields, outbuildings and swimming pool for the sum of £6m.
- Acting in the restructure of assets including the refinance of residential properties and 197 acres of agricultural land valued at £5m, the grant of various tenancies for commercial units, woodland and telecoms equipment, the grant of licences for the use of watercourses and venue hire, and sales of agricultural land and several residential properties.
- Acting for clients with a substantial country home, looking to ensure the remains protected for future generations.
- Acting in the grant of option and promotion agreements for residential and solar developments including the associated s.106 agreements and land sales, purchases of residential properties and agricultural land and applications for first registration of unregistered land.
- Acting for clients buying a country manor house with substantial land for the sum of £3m.
- Acting in the grant of a s.106 agreement to provide for off-site biodiversity net gain, the grant of option agreements for residential development and the grant of tenancies for commercial and agricultural uses.
"The team has great depth from partner to junior level and is very commercially astute."
"They are excellent in dealing with clients in a sensible and pragmatic fashion. They are always on hand to assist client queries."
"They are approachable, friendly, and very capable across multiple sectors."
“It was a very efficient service; the information was given clearly and well.”
"What makes them standout is their personal touch, attention to detail and accessibility of staff."
"All are accessible, approachable and good at assisting clients in making decisions or identifying key components of decision making for them to review with objectivity"
"They have a comprehensive team with a depth of experience and ability to deal with matters. They have excellent knowledge and attention to detail."
"Modern, corporate approach but with friendly and personable delivery."
"Excellent working relationship, knowledgeable, friendly, engaging and very helpful."
"Excellent interpretation and analysis of the matter and advice. The solicitors that I deal with are very personable and good to work with."
"A diverse team with the knowledge to manage themselves and others to deliver sensible solutions."
"They have the internal expertise to cover a whole variety of specialisms."
"Well resourced team with accessible partners and concise, objective advice."
Clients say the lawyers are "approachable and effective in dealing with a wide variety of transactional matters."
Contact us
Complete the form or speak to Our Heads of Landed Estates & Country Homes
