OUTLOOK DECEMBER 2008
A monthly e-newsletter covering
Industrial, Commercial & Retail Property, in North
Oxfordshire,
North Gloucestershire, South
Northants and South Warwickshire.
Published by BANKIER SLOAN CHARTERED
SURVEYORS.
Acquisitions: Sales:
Lettings: Lease Renewals: Rent Reviews: Planning: Rating: Management
Regional Property
Helplines : 01869 338866 and
01608 652888
Please
"forward" to any friends or colleagues you think may be interested and hopefully
they will reply directly to us saying "YES PLEASE" and we'll add them to our
register. Our e-mail address is reception@centre-p.co.uk
Welcome to OUTLOOK for the final time in 2008....an interesting year,
that has had a major adverse impact on many businesses, but will
have provided new and unexpected opportunities for others. We look
forward to rising to the many new challenges that next
year will bring.
2009 will see Bankier Sloan celebrate 25 years in business. We will
continue to provide high quality professional advice to our existing
clients, and we look foward to working with many new companies in
2009. Bankier Sloan remains the longest established practise in the area
dealing exclusively with Industrial, Retail and Office property.
Factory search continues...and office search reaches a conclusion:
Many thanks to those who tried to help us acquire premises this
year on behalf of clients. In the case of the office and warehouse
centered around the M40, my clients have organised their move and we expect
exchange and completion to take place this week. I am very grateful for
all those who came forward with suggested locations. Thanks also to my
clients and to the owners of the site which we have selected; both have acted in
a highly professional manner and a satisfactory conclusion has been
reached.
Our search continues however to find a substantial factory and office for
my clients in the North Cotswold area. The search area has expanded and we
are looking in a radious of 25 miles from Stow-on-the-Wold. Please do study our
requirements page on our website. See
http://www.centre-p.co.uk/PROPERTY%20REQUIREMENTS.pdf .
Planning Appeals...we'll all pay for them from
now-on ! 2009 is expected to see a change in the
procedure for planning appeals. From now on there will be a charge for going to
appeal ! This is expected to be the same as the fee paid to the local
authority by the applicant when the original application was made. This is
intended to concentrate the minds of applicants before they make an appeal.
However, it is interesting to note that it will now be possible to claim
costs in respect of cases that go forward as Written Representations,
not just those that are heard at public hearings.
Formal Valuations : Anyone undertaking
Valuations, or for that matter instructing valuers to carry out a valuation
should read
http://www.rics.org/Practiceareas/Property/Commercial/Valuation/val_uncertainty_f_271108.htm
. This covers issues which have arisen in these times of 'Valuation
Uncertainty'. Oh, and on the subject of valuations, anyone looking to
renew their PI insurance is likely to be asked to complete a new
form in future...it has some really interesting
questions, like...
Do you value Sub-Prime Property?
If valuation work is not allocated via a central process, please
explain how you prevent the possibility of undue influences being exercised by
external parties ? !! and this will catch many Valuers...
Do you produce
Valuations on premises more than 25 miles from your main place of work
?
Section 26 notices: I think as I mentioned in
our October newsletter, the use of Section 26 Notices will
become fairly common in the year ahead. Tenants should however not assume that
the rent they are currently paying is below the market rent. There are still
sectors where there is a shortage of property and such notices should not be
served without first obtaining professional advise. Bankier Sloan can of course
help !
Giving Solicitors nightmares! I would like to thank the
"Group Operations Supervisor" of a major company who wrote a very detailed and
acurate one-and-a-half page note on works they planned to carry out on one of my
clients properties. She was asking for permission to carry out such work and I
simply replied "Fine by us". She e-mailed back immediately and suggested that
she was happy, but she would like a slightly more formal response
otherwise her solicitor might have a "hissy-fit". Thank you...you
did make me smile; I am sure all readers can think of many
solicitors who have in the past had 'hissy-fits!'. We know lots of
friendly solicitors see
http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Solicitors.pdf
so I'm allowed to make such comments....I think !
Estates Gazette advert: Response numbers: For the first
time in 2008 Bankier Sloan placed an advert in the Estate Gazette (quarter page
- page 56 November 22nd ) promoting the availabililty of up to 1 acre
of open storage in Aynho near Banbury. See
http://www.centre-p.co.uk/pdfs/Yard%20at%20AynhoJUNE08.pdf . Some
readers may be interested to learn that to date (nine days after the appearance
of the advert) we have had just sixteen enquiries although of course we hope the
quality will prove to be good.
Christmas Holiday Closing dates: Please note we will be
working until 3.00 pm Wednesday 24th December and will come back to work at
9.00 am on Monday 5th January 2009.
Property management: This is the time of year when I
again remind people that they may have rent reviews or lease renewals
coming up in the next twelve months and the Christmas break is often a
good time for people to find their leases, read their documents
and instruct Bankier Sloan to deal with such matters! Do you
know where the original copy of all your legal property documents are? Ask
someone...you may need them in a hurry one day; best you know where they
are!
Nuneaton: I have been instructed to either sell or let a
very prominent site on Midland Road, Nuneaton. Full details of which can be
found at
http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Nuneaton(2).pdf.
This would be ideal for car sales or car/van rentals. It has planning permission
for such a use. I also believe at some point in the future it will be
re-developed for residential purposes.
Google listing: Please note we remain at the top of most
search engines when it comes to looking for property across the region
as illustrated by
http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Google%20Leaflet(JUNE08).pdf.
I fully understand why we are Number ONE if you type in 'Industrial
Premises Banbury' or 'Units to let Banbury' however the one that makes me
smile is 'Estates Gazette Readers' we find ourselves
also at number one. We do not pay for sponsored links we reach Number
one as a result of your interest in our web-site. Thank
you.
Annual trip to London: As some of you
may know myself and my staff spend a day in London Christmas shopping,
seeing a show etc. This year this will be Thursday,
4th December therefore the only way to contact us that day will
be on the mobile ( 07831 338111). Last year one of our clients based
in the West End invited me for afternoon tea, while the ladies continued
raiding the shops...any invitation will be welcome. Please !
Empty Rates....come on wake-up ! Are you still paying full
rates on your Empty Properties? To date we have received over 140 enquires
for our briefing note on this! It's legal and it works...if you've implemented
our advise please let us know any reaction you have had from your local
authority (good or bad), if you haven't seen it, please write to
reception@centre-p.co.uk writing
'EMPTY RATES' in the Subject box, and it will be sent by return. We know
Mr Darling is going to let you stop paying 'Empty Rates' if your RV is less than
£15,000 after next April , but why pay for the next five months ?
I've spend
the last seven days(!) reading the pre-budget statement on your behalf and
the section relating to your business, including rates relief, can be found at
: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr08_chapter4_136.pdf or you can order a printed copy for £45 from HM
Treasury!!
STOP PRESS : OXFORD RESTAURANT : LEASE FOR SALE.
Unfortunately our prospective purchaser has pulled out (15 hours before
exchange!!) . So we're back on the market. See
http://www.centre-p.co.uk/Peninsula%20Restaurant,%20Oxford.pdf .
When we first placed this on the web in September this property received 472
hits in the first 30 days !
Finally, Happy Christmas from all at Bankier Sloan,
and may you have a peaceful and rewarding New Year.
Edited
by Ian B Sloan FRICS – 1st December 2008
BANKIER
SLOAN
The longest established Chartered
Surveyors in the region dealing exclusively with
Industrial, Commercial & Retail
Property.
North Oxfordshire, North Gloucestershire,
South
Northants and South
Warwickshire.
Deddington 01869 338866
- Brackley 01280 700756
Moreton-in-Marsh 01608
652888 - Coventry 02476
545556