Deborah specialises in both commercial and residential property transactions. On the commercial side she regularly advises on the property aspect of corporate deals in particular when there is an investment or financing element. Deborah also has substantial experience of advising entrepreneurs and property company investors in the purchase of hotels, retail property and factory outlets. On the residential side Deborah advises a number of overseas and domestic clients on property purchases in particular when there is a short lease that requires a lease extension.
Expertise
Residential
- Sales and Purchases (freehold and leasehold)
- Lease extensions under the Leasehold Reform (Housing and Urban Development) Act 1993
- Property aspects of probate
Commercial
- Sales and purchases
- Landlord and tenant (leases, agreements for lease, renewals, assignments, underlettings and licences)
- Asset management
- Corporate support (asset and share acquisitions and disposals)
Experience
Landlord & Tenant
- Acting for ING Real Estate Development UK Limited as landlord in relation to the pre-letting and ongoing management of an out of town factory outlet centre known as Dalton Park, Co. Durham.
- Acting for Universities Superannuation Scheme (the UK’s third largest pension fund) as landlord in the pre-letting of Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes Shopping Centre whilst being developed by London & Amsterdam Developments Limited (subsequently acquired by ING Real Estate Development UK Limited).
Leases
- Acting for Truly Everything Limited, an Internet retailer 50% owned by ING Real Estate Development UK Limited, in taking leases at various shopping centres.
- Securing lease extensions under the Leasehold Reform (House and Urban Development) Act 1993 for numerous leaseholds. Safely navigating the Act’s complex proceedure and working with specialist valuers to ensure a fair premium.
Sales & Purchases
- The asset purchase of 19 operational hotels from Corus Group via tax saving JPUTS for £115 million. Preparing and granting leases of the hotels to a single hotel operator. Acting on the property aspects of the onward sale of the let hotels via JPUTS.
- The property aspects of the corporate purchase of 5 operational hotels from Corus Group for £50 million. Acting on the sale of 4 individual sales of the hotels.
- The property aspects of the corporate purchase of The St James’s Club Limited, Park Place, St James’s, SW1 for £20 million.
- The property aspects of the corporate purchase of the Cardiff Hilton Hotel for £30 million.
- Acting for Galliard Homes in the purchase and onward development of an office block intended for residential development. The property was acquired by a share acquisition in a joint venture vehicle. The purchase and onward development was particularly complex as the property was part only of an estate.
- Acting for Tesco Stores Limited in the piecemeal acquisition of store development sites mostly by conditional purchase or option agreement.
- Acting for Imry Developments Limited (acquired as the development arm of Barclays Bank) in the site assembly of West Quay Shopping Centre, Southampton.
- Acting for Scottish & Newcastle in the sale and purchase of pub portfolios.
Other
- Acting for Irish Nationwide Building Society in the property aspects of numerous secured lending transactions including many complex titles.
- The disposal of a developed factory outlet centre to Henderson.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Deborah qualified as a solicitor in 1994. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2008, he worked at the following firms:
- Howard Kennedy
- Lawrence Graham
- Berwin Leighton Paisner
- Stephenson Harwood