Richard Castle & John Castle believe it’s time leases moved with the times
“The length and complexity of modern leases is a scandal. Something ought to be done.” So began an article called Leases: time for change which appeared in the legal press on 3 July 1985. Sadly, much the same complaint can be made today. In 25 years, not much improvement has been made in the style, layout, language and design of most leases. Does that matter? We think it does, and that it is still worth investing time and effort in an attempt to bring leases into the 20th century before too much of the 21st goes by.
Advances since 1985
It’s certainly not been all doom and gloom. The Law Commission put its weight behind reform, and the Law Society has published a series of well-written business leases. The Code for Leasing Business Premises (2007) has become known and does a lot to redress the imbalance between landlord and tenant, and to cut down sterile negotiations on lease terms.
Trevor Aldridge’s Practical Lease Precedents (Sweet & Maxwell) provide
