Telecoms

Our team over the last year or so have represented land and property owners on in excess of 20 such matters and from - Learn more

If you have been approached by an operator to take a lease of your land or a building, the terms being offered will most likely be poor, very one sided, in favour of the tenant and will not be geared to protect your interests. Our team can negotiate the very best terms available in the marketplace today and will ensure a substantial contribution to both your surveyors and legal costs be paid by the tenant. Once heads of terms for a lease or licence are agreed, our team will also manage the legal process, from instruction of your solicitors to completion. We are also happy to recommend law firms who have experience of telecoms, where you do not have a preferred solicitor or a solicitor who understands telecoms.

As operators look to remove sites from their networks as leases come to an end or on the operator exercising their right to break under a relevant break clause, as a property owner you need to know that your property will not be materially affected by the removal works or by equipment left in place. Our building surveying team can advise on such matters to ensure your property interests are protected, that any removal works are undertaken to the highest standard and that health and safety regulations are complied with. Our team will also negotiate surrender agreements and ensure that all outstanding liabilities are honoured by the telecoms operators and equipment fully removed where required.

Operators are adept to undertaking telecom site sharing, assignment and upgrade works without any formal notification to or consent from land and property owners. Our team consider all such matters and advise on appropriate terms to be agreed including financial compensation or remedies available where works have been done without formal consent.

Telecom operators, their agents and contractors need to frequently visit their sites for a variety of reasons and this can put pressure on the land or property owner in managing such access requests and ensuring health and safety requirements are complied with. Our team will deal with all requests for access and ensure your rights as an owner are protected and your statutory obligations and duties of care to your visitors are complied with. As a property owner, this means you can be sure only properly qualified, authorised and competent persons may access your site and that access requests are only authorised where the lease or license permits.

Have you ever thought about exactly what equipment has been erected on your property or whether the equipment installed complies with the terms of your lease? Often, operators tend to install equipment and then seek the required rights after the event. Our site audit and inspection team will audit equipment built on site, compare with the terms of the lease and advise you on the options and remedies available in order that the terms of the lease can be enforced.

Many telecoms installations throughout the UK are still powered from the land or property owner’s electricity supply and - Learn more

The Electronic Communications Code is often overlooked when you enter a lease with a telecoms operator and once a lease is - Learn more

Chris Hicks is a respected expert in the telecommunications industry and has provided expert testimony and valuation reports to both County Court, Arbitrations and Independent expert proceedings. Going down the route of appointing an expert witness is not something to be taken likely and is a measure of last resort where a rent review or lease renewal has reached stalemate. We can advise you on the appropriate options to settle your case.

Whether you have a single user or a multi-occupied site, our bespoke asset management service will enhance and protect your income returns and capital values. Our team will handle all aspects of the day-to-day management of your telecommunications lease investments allowing you to step back and know your new leases and rent reviews are being professionally managed; that your tenant’s needs are being looked after; your obligations met, and the tenant’s covenants properly managed.

Have you ever thought how much your site is worth if you were to sell the rights to receive the rent from your telecoms mast? Conversely, if approached by an investor to sell the rights to the rent you are receiving, have you considered whether this is the right thing to do? There is an extremely healthy market for these types of investments with three or four very active investors in the marketplace and more investors such as the pension funds viewing these types of investments as a safe bet. Our team advises on whether it is appropriate to sell, values, appropriate sale and marketing strategies and will manage any sale through to a successful conclusion.