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Hi everybody, I do hope this is the right place to get some expert advice on my query. I have contacted a couple of alleged legal phone lines that my professional subs entitle me to, but I haven't had any useful input from them..
My question has to do with renewal of business premises lease. I have been leasing a studio inside a big studio complex in East London since 2012. Have always been prompt with payment, no issues, good relationship to date. The site manager has changed recently and since then all hell has broken loose basically. Perhaps she is just executing directives from higher up, but the bottom line is I can't work things out with her.
My lease is due for renewal at the end of this month. She had said that she didn't want to renew it at all in the first place, as we have been quite noisy, the footfall in the building is too much and they are trying to create a more quiet envirnoment for all the businesses in the building (oxymoron number 1: i'm in a building surrounded by drummers, producers, musicians and all sorts of noisy musos!). Basically we give piano lessons (with my team of tutors) to schoolchildren, who sometimes can get a little excitable in the corridors on the way to and from the studio - but nothing that would warrant an eviction! Needless to say, I have instructed everyone to be super quiet etc, and with a lot of pushing I managed to get her to allow us to stay in the building for another 6 months - up until the end of July 2019, when the school year ends so we can finish our year properly.
Now she proposed an increase in the rent (from 500 to 550) for the next 6 months, to which i responded that as we are only renewing for 6 months I 'd like the rent to stay the same. Last year they had increased the rent from 430 to 500, so I said that it's too much to be asking for an increase again. No response. She then emailed me again after a few weeks asking if I wanted to renew or if I wanted to move out. I replied saying that I had indeed replied initially (!) that I wanted to continue leasing the space and I was just awaiting her response re rent. No response again.
Meanwhile the days are going by swiftly, and I am not sure what to do. Obviously I want to stay, even with the 50 pound increase but I don't get why she's not responding to that.
Before you ask, I do have a signed agreement which stipulates that at ANY time the landlord has to provide 2 months notice minimum. It includes a statutory declaration which basically waives my rights to be able to remain in the premises after the term finishes, so I know this is not helpful - however, they are effectively forcing us to sign it otherwise they won't provide us with space.
HELP! I am desperate to stay but I don't know how to proceed. Should I insist on getting an answer from her? Go and find her in person? Write to the landlord? Pursue a claim via legal means?
I really appreciated any help/insight you can give me. Thank you in advance.
My question has to do with renewal of business premises lease. I have been leasing a studio inside a big studio complex in East London since 2012. Have always been prompt with payment, no issues, good relationship to date. The site manager has changed recently and since then all hell has broken loose basically. Perhaps she is just executing directives from higher up, but the bottom line is I can't work things out with her.
My lease is due for renewal at the end of this month. She had said that she didn't want to renew it at all in the first place, as we have been quite noisy, the footfall in the building is too much and they are trying to create a more quiet envirnoment for all the businesses in the building (oxymoron number 1: i'm in a building surrounded by drummers, producers, musicians and all sorts of noisy musos!). Basically we give piano lessons (with my team of tutors) to schoolchildren, who sometimes can get a little excitable in the corridors on the way to and from the studio - but nothing that would warrant an eviction! Needless to say, I have instructed everyone to be super quiet etc, and with a lot of pushing I managed to get her to allow us to stay in the building for another 6 months - up until the end of July 2019, when the school year ends so we can finish our year properly.
Now she proposed an increase in the rent (from 500 to 550) for the next 6 months, to which i responded that as we are only renewing for 6 months I 'd like the rent to stay the same. Last year they had increased the rent from 430 to 500, so I said that it's too much to be asking for an increase again. No response. She then emailed me again after a few weeks asking if I wanted to renew or if I wanted to move out. I replied saying that I had indeed replied initially (!) that I wanted to continue leasing the space and I was just awaiting her response re rent. No response again.
Meanwhile the days are going by swiftly, and I am not sure what to do. Obviously I want to stay, even with the 50 pound increase but I don't get why she's not responding to that.
Before you ask, I do have a signed agreement which stipulates that at ANY time the landlord has to provide 2 months notice minimum. It includes a statutory declaration which basically waives my rights to be able to remain in the premises after the term finishes, so I know this is not helpful - however, they are effectively forcing us to sign it otherwise they won't provide us with space.
HELP! I am desperate to stay but I don't know how to proceed. Should I insist on getting an answer from her? Go and find her in person? Write to the landlord? Pursue a claim via legal means?
I really appreciated any help/insight you can give me. Thank you in advance.
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