Lex and the City

Since 2002, Mishcon partner Susan Freeman has been a regular columnist for Property Week’s Legal & Professional section. Property Matters! highlights just some of the issues Susan has covered in the last year…

Commonhold fails to grip us – January 2003 Susan heralds The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act as the long-awaited antidote to the ills of the residential leasehold market which may ironically prove to be more of benefit to the commercial sector.

No one’s winning the no-lose game – April 2003 Reflecting on the relatively few big deals and the opportunity corporates may be missing to optimise the value of real estate, Susan remains optimistic that outsourcing will soon be back on the European agenda.

Housing quotas are not working – May 2003 Susan argues that affordable housing has become a big issue for developers, but confused government policy may actually lead to a reduction rather than the desired increase in housing development.

There’s life in British BIDS yet – August 2003 Calling on her first experience of US Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Susan encourages property owners not to be put off by the gaps in the current legislation, but to follow their American counterparts and voluntarily support these schemes to turn round our neglected urban areas.

2004 will bring the winds of change – January 2004 Susan gazes into her crystal ball and predicts the key themes for the property and legal sectors in 2004. The Barker Report, the re-emergence of REITs, stamp duty and money laundering were all identified.

MIPIM: pleasure or strictly business? – March 2004 As the fifteenth anniversary MIPIM winds down, Susan argues the case for this annual Cannes event but warns that you need a game plan if you are really to make the most of the informal environment in which real business can take place.

Even in property the customer is king– April 2004 Susan pours water on the threat of legislation regarding flexible leases and challenges landlords to see impending changes as a wake up call for improved client care and customer satisfaction. Legislation or not, Susan concludes that property companies must respond to the change in lease lengths and demand for greater flexibility.

A design for life can boost productivity – June 2004 Exploring the pivotal relationship between working environment and productivity, Susan argues that good office design can add measurable value to a business and developers need to pay more attention to the needs of the occupier and not just the buyer.

If you would like copies of the full articles, visit the Mishcon website at: www.mishcon.co.uk