Document downloads - Leases
Available downloads
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Handling tenant's applications for approval to alterations (ARCHIVED)
Published August 1995
Effective from August 1995
Archived 30 June 2018
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
A landlord (or more likely his managing agent) will be faced from time to time with a situation in which his tenant applies for consent to make alterations to the leased property. Sometimes it will be found on examination that no formal consent is required under the lease, that the works are de minimis or that the tenant is merely advising the landlord of his proposals as a matter of courtesy. In these cases, a polite acknowledgement may be all that is needed. More frequently the tenant will require consent. -
Service charges in commercial property
Published June 2025
Effective from 31 December 2025
Aimed at commercial property managers and occupiers in the UK, this 2nd edition professional standard promotes best practice, uniformity, fairness and transparency in the management and administration of service charges in commercial property.
The document aims to help ensure that budgets and year-end certificates are issued in a timely manner and encourages a reduction in the causes of disputes (and where there are disputes, provide guidance on resolution). It provides guidance to solicitors, their clients (whether owners or occupiers) and managers of service charges in the negotiation, drafting, interpretation and operation of leases, in accordance with best practice.
This professional standard also sets mandatory requirements for RICS members and RICS-regulated firms, which will encourage service charges to be managed with greater consistency and due diligence.
Service charges in commercial property, 2nd edition, is effective from 31 December 2025.
The basis for conclusions details the engagement RICS had on this standard and reasons for decisions made.
Three templates for voluntary agreements are also available to download below. -
Money laundering guidance (ARCHIVED)
Published July 2011
Archived 23 October 2014
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
The RICS guidance was replaced by the HMRC guidance on the Regulations and RICS will not update this guidance further.
Go to: www.gov.uk/money-laundering-regulations-introduction
This guidance provided a general introduction to preventing money laundering, terrorist finance, bribery, and financial sanctions. It was co-authored by the National Federation of Property Professionals, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Association of Relocation Professionals, and the Association of Residential Managing Agents. It explained how to interpret and implement anti-money laundering requirements in practice. -
The New Lease Accounting Rules (RICS)
Published February 2011
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has issued proposals on how leases are to be accounted for by listed companies and others that report under International Financial Reporting Standards. If the new model is adopted, as seems likely, it will remove the distinction between operating and financial leases. This means that most corporate occupiers will have to record their lease obligations on the balance sheet which will have a significant impact on their reported financial position.
The industry consultation period ended on 15 December 2010 and there is a widely held view that the proposed standard will be adopted, although the IASB could still make some final changes. It is reasonable to assume that the standard would apply from 2014 if not before. When changes are made to accounting standards companies are required to provide restated balance sheets for the previous 2 years, meaning than the lease assets and liabilities may need to be calculated by 2012.
This is clearly something which is going to have a major impact on companies that lease commercial property and their advisers.
These changes do not just affect those chartered surveyors advising corporates on a day to day basis, but also investment and leasing agents. -
RICS Small Business Retail Lease (ARCHIVED)
Please note: These downloads have been archived and are available on isurv for information purposes only.
This lease is has been drafted specifically for high street retail property. It is written in plain English and provides flexible terms for a short term lease (of up to 5 years) with no rent review.
A lease is a binding contract in law and signing a lease on a property is one of the most significant financial commitments that a business can make. As a tenant it is essential that your lease matches your business requirements and that your fully understand all of its terms and conditions. -
Tenant representative process
Published March 2016
Effective from 11 April 2016
This guidance note, effective in Australia, aims to assist practitioners in professionally advising their tenant clients.
It covers typical requirements that advisors should be aware of, and clearly sets out the four key stages in the tenant representative process:
- detailed needs analysis
- the market review
- short list review and
- negotiation and documentation.