leanderman
Street Party: July 2
Very keen to find out who these shameless, and so far faceless, landlords are.
Does anyone have (free) Land Registry access?
Does anyone have (free) Land Registry access?
Brixton's Kaff Bar to close in July, as landlords triple the rent
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hiraethified
I've suggested that some banners bearing their name might be a nice addition to Saturday's Reclaim Brixton Assembly.
299 old timer
Well-Known Member
Was this the first Rent Review on the current lease?
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hiraethified
I've got a huge piece to post up soon which describes the background in vast detail! Let me get on it...
299 old timer
Well-Known Member
A pdf of the lease would make interesting reading
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hiraethified
Here's the full story from the manager's perspective. It's a long read but an interesting one.
The end of Brixton Kaff: a diary from the front line of gentrification
He told me that he's reluctant to name the landlords right now as the final legal details are still being sorted.
The end of Brixton Kaff: a diary from the front line of gentrification
He told me that he's reluctant to name the landlords right now as the final legal details are still being sorted.
Winot
I wholeheartedley agree with your viewpoint
Sounds like you were spot on with this comment. That and some bad advice. A sad tale.
Probably the most useful thing I've read on what this all actually means for people running small businesses in a changing area.
Real shame.
brixtonblade
Well-Known Member
Really sad
prunus
Tick tock.
It's three different registrations by the look of it (one for each of 64,66,68). Hence consortium of three landlords I guess. Hang on, I'll get the details to this thread.
e2a: this info is not correct in fact, having got the titles. But not saying anything more until a few days have passed (see below).
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prunus
Tick tock.
In light of this should I not put the details here then? Although the information is in the public domain, for anyone willing to spend £9, anyway (the registered title-holders, at least, who might not be the actual operating landlords of course, but likely are).
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hiraethified
Do you mind just waiting a day or two? From what I gather it may potentially cause a few problems right now - but, as you say, it's in the public domain so it's up to you.
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hiraethified
Art Nouveau's struggles are going to get worse after a new neighbour lodged another noise complaint.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Sadly, Kaff's having made a success of the site has probably contributed to the landlord's cuntery.
Rushy
basically a scrotum
From his Buzz piece it seems that the owners were from the outset only ever prepared to enter into a 5 year lease and that that has come to an end. Is that right?
That's not a very typical lease structure. Very insecure with a single landlord, let alone three separate ones. Indeed, he does seem to imply that it rang alarm bells at the time.
Are the landlords multi unit professional landlords or are they are they the owners of the previously failed restaurants?
That's not a very typical lease structure. Very insecure with a single landlord, let alone three separate ones. Indeed, he does seem to imply that it rang alarm bells at the time.
Are the landlords multi unit professional landlords or are they are they the owners of the previously failed restaurants?
prunus
Tick tock.
Certainly don't want to cause any potential problems, so will watch the thread for your (their) 'ok' before posting any details.
Effrasurfer
SW2 I Love You
Theo Wallis
:o)
.
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Twattor
Well-Known Member
This is horrendous in every direction you look at it. I know very little about commercial leases but from what i recall from college many years ago they are typically 15? years with 5 year reviews, upwards only rent reviews, full repairing and insuring, and tenant is liable for any dilapidation. Any review is based on local commercial rates, and i believe there ought to be a review dispute structure.
This sounds like a disaster - a bunch of landlords unable to make a satisfactory return signed-up someone desperate for a site for a short term lease on god knows what terms and now appear to be about to profit from the expiration of the lease and uplift of local values. The rent must have been very low and the tenant very trusting/naive/poorly advised to go near a tenancy split across three landlords - triple the risk, and the bargaining strength is with them; any one could ask for excessivlely increased rent at the end of the term and exert undue influence on the tenant through the necessity of retaining all leases. Essentially the tenant is open to blackmail on three fronts.
Best of luck to them and i hope they find somewhere else, but in the longer term they are better out of this situation.
This sounds like a disaster - a bunch of landlords unable to make a satisfactory return signed-up someone desperate for a site for a short term lease on god knows what terms and now appear to be about to profit from the expiration of the lease and uplift of local values. The rent must have been very low and the tenant very trusting/naive/poorly advised to go near a tenancy split across three landlords - triple the risk, and the bargaining strength is with them; any one could ask for excessivlely increased rent at the end of the term and exert undue influence on the tenant through the necessity of retaining all leases. Essentially the tenant is open to blackmail on three fronts.
Best of luck to them and i hope they find somewhere else, but in the longer term they are better out of this situation.
oryx
Sitting on the bok of the day
Or Gail's Breads (£7 a loaf last time I looked) or Paul, Starbucks, Costa, Caffe Nero or another chain able to pay the level of rent that a small business cannot.
There ceased to be rent control in the residential sector years ago and there has never been AFAIK any rent control in the commercial sector. This is very worrying for small businesses, who all political parties claim to want to help. I don't know how they propose to help. There's no help for small businesses priced out by rent hikes, another famous example (not Brixton obv) being Gaby's in Charing Cross Road.
It's all about greed and getting the utmost price in rent, of course. My area (in SE London) is about five years behind Brixton in terms of gentrification and I really dread the places I eat and drink in being closed due to rent hikes.
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hiraethified
Sadly they're almost certainly out of Brixton, and quite likely out of business.
leanderman
Street Party: July 2
Seems just as likely that the landlord(s) want to use the site themselves.
The trebling being a cynical way of achieving this.
Rushy
basically a scrotum
Or possibly just one or two of them does.
299 old timer
Well-Known Member
I'm not a lawyer, but a lot of legal documents do pass my desk. 5 year leases do happen, but the scenario of 3 landlords is most unusual. I asked one of the legal team if a 3 times rent hike is usual, he looked puzzled (as in not really) and answered "only if they can get away with it".
Rushy
basically a scrotum
Useful and clearly written overview about renewing a commercial lease here:
http://www.taylorwessing.com/synapse/ti_renewinglease.html
http://www.taylorwessing.com/synapse/ti_renewinglease.html
Rushy
basically a scrotum
You also need to consider the scenario in which one or more of the landlords was owner of the previous business on that site which ran into trouble and closed during the recession. (Steve does mention that the landlords had tried and failed to run a business in the past and he concludes that they aren't up to the task - not clear whether it was that site).
It would be perfectly reasonable for them to try to find a tenant after their own business failed. And perfectly reasonable for them to offer only a short lease so long as they did not falsely offer otherwise. He does say that they absolutely refused to offer a longer lease from the outset.
As sad as the whole scenario is, this does not appear to be at all clear cut. I'd certainly try getting some clarity before putting individual people's names on banners along side Network Rail's.
DJWrongspeed
radio eros
whisper of an 'All Bar One' but it might be just a rumour.
