Andrew qualified as a solicitor in 1991 and is a highly experienced commercial property specialist once described by a corporate client’s surveyor as the best lawyer he had ever dealt with for speed of response.
Andrew does freehold and leasehold commercial and agricultural property work, including property finance, investment and development, and corporate support. He also does non-contentious corporate and personal insolvency work, and some very high value residential property work.
These are Andrew Hardcastle's areas of expertise:
Background
In addition to the usual commercial leases and related licences (many in London, including the City, and the Thames Valley) and option agreements for landowners and developers, he also does a certain amount of contentious landlord and tenant work, statutory notices, break options, dilapidations claims and overriding leases.
And in addition to the usual institutional lending work, he does a certain amount of personal secured lending.
He has acted in connection with the sale or purchase of a number of licensed premises and other small businesses (both assets and shares) as going concerns. Recently, these include an estate agency and two narrowboat wharfs.
His commercial clients include commercial and residential property investment/development companies and trustees of directors’ pension schemes, and they vary from SMEs to a PLC.
Agricultural instructions include the dissolution of a farming partnership and farm business tenancies.
And residential include buying the freehold of a block of flats in London under the collective enfranchisement legislation, then extending the participating members’ leases, and buying and selling numerous flats and houses in London and outside, some for many millions.
Recent highlights include the sale of a longstanding corporate client’s commercial investment/development portfolio, having previously acted for the company in connection with the acquisition of a freehold property, and certain contentious and non-contentious landlord and tenant matters, to facilitate its then redevelopment of the site, and also the grant of a number of new leases of premises there.
The buyer’s solicitors put a team of half a dozen property, construction, planning and tax lawyers on it over two years. However, Andrew dealt with all aspects of what was a demanding transaction involving complex overage provisions himself and he subsequently acted for the liquidators of the company, and he still acts for and with its former directors, accountant and surveyor.
Andrew has two adult daughters, who share his love of skiing, and one boy, a Border Collie.
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