Belquis Ghaleb Joins Goldstein Legal

Goldstein Legal is delighted to announce the appointment of associate solicitor, Belquis Ghaleb. Belquis (better known as Belle) joined Goldstein Legal on 3rd September 2018 as our specialist commercial property lawyer and has begun working with a number of clients.

Belle will also work alongside Roz Goldstein and the team to deliver our wider commercial law and franchising services.

Belle is experienced in advising clients in all areas of commercial property law, especially: drafting & reviewing commercial leases, negotiating authorised guarantee agreements (AGAs), Land Registry registrations and advising on landlord/tenant disputes.

Roz Goldstein, founder and managing director of Goldstein Legal said: “Belle is a real asset to our team. Her background in commercial property law will be invaluable and help us continue meeting and exceeding clients’ expectations. What really stands out about Belle is her determination to find the right solution to meet each client’s specific commercial needs.”

Belle completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at BBP Law School, graduating in 2013. Her electives included Intellectual Property and Advanced Civil Litigation. Following this, Belle commenced a training contract, undertaking seats in Immigration, Commercial Property, and Litigation. During her training contract, Belle specialised in Commercial Property. To date, she has over four years’ experience advising tenants and landlords on their commercial property needs.

Belle Ghaleb said: “I’m delighted to join Goldstein Legal and get stuck into my role here as commercial property solicitor. What attracted me to the firm is the team’s values for delivering jargon-free, clear and bespoke legal services. I’m also eager to further develop my specialism in commercial property and feel I can make a real difference to help clients here.”

Below, Belle shares her top tips for commercial tenants:

Q: What’s your key piece of advice for clients planning to rent commercial property?

A: All financial obligations are your responsibility. Sometimes tenants don’t take into account the financial implications of obtaining a commercial lease. Standard leases are ‘Full Repairing and Insuring’ (FRI). This generally passes all repair responsibilities to the tenant. As well as this, the tenant is responsible for building insurance (or a fair proportion), service charge (if applicable), utility bills, business rates, and other costs agreed in the lease.

I always obtain information about the financial responsibilities, to ensure the tenant fully understands all the costs involved, prior to completion of lease.

Q: What’s the most important question to ask before signing a commercial lease?

A: There’s lots to consider when renting commercial property. But, I’d say one of the most important questions is, does the lease give you security of tenure? In the lease, sections 24-28 ‘Landlords & Tenants Act (LTA) 1954’ give tenants certain protections. Namely, the tenant has the right to renew the lease at the end of the term and the landlord has limited rights to oppose this.

However, sections 24-28 can be excluded from the lease (‘contracted out’). This removes the tenant’s statutory right to renew and the landlord doesn’t need to serve notice to the tenant. This can be devastating for tenants who spent the last 10 years refurbishing the premises and establishing their business, only to end up having to relocate. So, I always ensure tenants understand the risks of obtaining a lease without security of tenure and help negotiate terms to suit their needs.

See more top tips for negotiating a strong commercial lease here.

The Goldstein legal team were very efficient and friendly. highly recommended.

Franchisee, October, 2018

Belle Ghaleb can help with all your commercial property needs. Get in touch for a free initial consultation.

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