About to sign lease - am I a fool?

[Jodies651]

Hi Geeks - apololiges in advance for this long thread!

So, May this year I see a SMALL retail unit in a good location for lease. Call up the letting agent and the annual rent seems to good to be true! Arrange a viewing and although the inside of shop decoration was extremley poor, I visualised a blank canvas and the potential it had when I worked my magic and I was really happy and excited with the prospect of having my own salon.

After advice giving on here I appointed a lawyer to make sure everything was above board and to both my lawyers and my dissapointment we are now in October and I am only now about to sign the lease. So many hold ups for such a un-complicated lease.

However my problem now is that my lawyer calls me up today and informs me that my surveyor has mentioned there is a smell coming from the bathroom and also an espestos check is needed (which is law). The landlord is refusing to pay for the espestos check which leaves me with no choice to pay and is also refusing to check the smell/drains.

I am so down now as I have bought all my equipment down to reception desk, waiting area chair etc and its taking so long. I am a little over my budget and really cant afford to pay anymore out. I am a qualified beauty therapist, nail tech and tanning and my sister is a hairdresser so we where super excited at this new venture and where well aware of the hard work and long hours to make it work, we borrowed above what we thought we needed as there is always extras we need/want when opening salon. I just need to know some advice if you lot think I should just take it on the chin and pay for what he is refusing too or should I take other action. Is he right to not get an espestos check or check the drains before I sign a 5 year lease!!! I obviously have to pay my lawyer fees whatever I decide etc so am I in a catch 22?????

The shop is in very poor condition so I will be decorating and laying flooring, new fittings etc which will be improving his premises immensly. I feel like I have hit a brick wall and wonder if its just me being petty or should the landlord sort out these problems before i sign the lease.

PLEASE HELP ME!!!! I used to bea happy therapist who loved her job now I can hardly sleep at night

 

[Leely]

Hi Geeks - apololiges in advance for this long thread!

So, May this year I see a SMALL retail unit in a good location for lease. Call up the letting agent and the annual rent seems to good to be true! Arrange a viewing and although the inside of shop decoration was extremley poor, I visualised a blank canvas and the potential it had when I worked my magic and I was really happy and excited with the prospect of having my own salon.

After advice giving on here I appointed a lawyer to make sure everything was above board and to both my lawyers and my dissapointment we are now in October and I am only now about to sign the lease. So many hold ups for such a un-complicated lease.

However my problem now is that my lawyer calls me up today and informs me that my surveyor has mentioned there is a smell coming from the bathroom and also an espestos check is needed (which is law). The landlord is refusing to pay for the espestos check which leaves me with no choice to pay and is also refusing to check the smell/drains.

I am so down now as I have bought all my equipment down to reception desk, waiting area chair etc and its taking so long. I am a little over my budget and really cant afford to pay anymore out. I am a qualified beauty therapist, nail tech and tanning and my sister is a hairdresser so we where super excited at this new venture and where well aware of the hard work and long hours to make it work, we borrowed above what we thought we needed as there is always extras we need/want when opening salon. I just need to know some advice if you lot think I should just take it on the chin and pay for what he is refusing too or should I take other action. Is he right to not get an espestos check or check the drains before I sign a 5 year lease!!! I obviously have to pay my lawyer fees whatever I decide etc so am I in a catch 22?????

The shop is in very poor condition so I will be decorating and laying flooring, new fittings etc which will be improving his premises immensly. I feel like I have hit a brick wall and wonder if its just me being petty or should the landlord sort out these problems before i sign the lease.

PLEASE HELP ME!!!! I used to bea happy therapist who loved her job now I can hardly sleep at night

Hey hun,

I would be worried if he is not willing to pay for these checks. If there is a smell coming from the bathroom it could be leaking sewage pipe. I worked for the water board and the amount of times this happens is unreal. As a landlord he has to make sure everything is above board. I wouldn't sign the lease for 5 years. X

 

[pebbles]

Hi,
i used to have a salon 7 years ago now though, had kids since, but i remember it was a fully repairing lease which meant i had to pay for things like this,
i had to pay for an asbestos check which was about £250 back then i think, which i think is very unfair, but i just think this is how it works, i'm not sure have you got a fully repairing lease?
i just wanted to say that if you go ahead check with your lawyer if you have a get out clause, say after 1 year you can give 6 months notice just in case things don't work out, sorry don't mean to be negative.
maybe the landlord thinks the rent is reasonable so that's why he won't pay, & if he was to pay maybe he would put the rent up,
anyway good luck whatever you decide x

 

[dandelionpoppy]

So sorry for your plight.
Just a quick piece of advice. If you go ahead, do not disturb flooring, drill into walls or ceilings etc unless you have the asbestos check done.
If the building is more than 12 years old asbestos is likely to be present. This doesn't necessarily mean the building is dangerous, but you need to have that report.

 

[makeupartistzoe]

it sounds like your at the stage where you have to pay your legal fees wether you sign the lease or not...I remember my solicitor telling me that! (potentially going to loose a few thou pounds!) But I would happily pay my solicitor double as my lease was re written 1000 times!

For my small shop it was a mess and nobody in my family works in trade so i spend £6000 on re wiring the place, re painting, building a fake wall and putting doors on and a few fixtures and fitting together. I got a salon master system and new products so i know how you can spend £ without even noticing it!

I made them write a clause in that i could sub let stations- as a standard lease template (even off the professionals) wont have this in it. Also as its a grade one listed building im not fully insuring and repairing, i pay £60 for my own insurance on stock fixtures and fittings and £240 a year for the landlords insurance, the building and the 'repairing' aspect is all him...all i have to do is keep it painted and look nice (and he knows in the basement there is a bit of ongoing damp so that is written in as well i didnt cause that.) I got rent free coz i was doing so much decorating for him and if i have a problem he fixes it coz i pay my rent and maitenance bill on time- which is capped.)

I know you want to sign it and crack on but I would not go there! Luckily for you ANY other potential renters will need him to do the same! So I'd play it very cool and say 'it's come really suddenly but we have seen an opportunity thats ready for us to move right it, obviously we want this shop but we aren't going to pay for those checks so can you see if the landlord will reconsider, you know we are quite ready to move in soon.' Then watch the agent, solicitor and landlord move their asses for you!

If the landlord cant do that, tieing yourself into a lease with him....no!

 

[Carlalouise]

I had to give up my dream shop in the summer, the landlord was like yours, wanted me in but didn't want to pay for anything, kept messing me around for months and months. If they are being that unhelpful now just imagine what they are going to be like once you're in.

You have to either enter into the agreement knowing if anything goes wrong with the property it's going to be down to you or get out now and find something else. As everyone said to me when I lost my premises, "it obviously wasn't meant to be".

I don't know about where you are but there are a lot of empty shops in my area and a lot of landlords giving good deals in order to get people in, so maybe have a look around and see if there is anything else out there, you could end up with something better or it could make you realise this isn't such a bad deal.

Good luck xx

 

[Red]

Hun, i agree with the others. If you're getting grief now, imagine what it's going to be like if you get any problems in the future? I haven't rented a shop myself but i have had nightmare landlords/letting agencies that were just trouble right from the word go and even getting the tenancy sorted was the biggest pain ever, just because he was awkward and incompetent. Yet, i've had others that were a dream. I'd go with your gut instinct which, seeing as you are asking for opinions on here, i think is not a good one... :hug:

Hope it all works out for you ok in the end xx

 

[Jodies651]

Hi Geeks

I sent a huge reply updating the situation earlier but I do not know where it went.

I dont have time at the moment as next lady is due soon, I will post tonight but just a quick message to thank you all for taking the time to be so helpful

xxx