Insights

A landlord is not obliged to allow a tenant to surrender a commercial lease prior to the end of the contractual term. An option to break (i.e. the ability to end the lease early) incorporated within the lease is therefore a luxury many tenants simply cannot afford to lose.

Title indemnity insurance is a policy that protects property owners or lenders from financial loss resulting from defects or issues with the title to the property. Unlike regular insurance policies, title indemnity insurance covers you for potential past issues rather than future issues.

The Renters Reform Bill is the most significant change in private renting in the last 30 years. Whilst this affects the whole of the private rental market, it also impacts tenancies provided by employers to staff.

The Renters' Rights Bill (Bill) promises to transform the private rented sector (PRS), with tenants set to receive significant new protections. For lenders with exposure to residential investment portfolios, these reforms raise important risks and operational considerations.

The Renter's Rights Bill had its third reading in the House of Lords on 21 July 2025 and is now back with the House of Commons for consideration of the Lords' amendments.  It is expected that the Commons will review those amendments on 8 September 2025.  The Government is keen to see this bill receive Royal Assent as soon as possible.

On 11 July 2025 the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government ('MHCLG') published its response to a consultation in which it posed a series of questions primarily directed at leaseholders, managing agents, landlords and freeholders in relation to insurance commission and permitted insurance fees.