Busy isn't the same as profitable. Rent is only the start: service charge, repairs, insurance and the bill for putting it all back when you leave are buried in the lease. They decide whether your numbers ever stack up. We help you find them before you sign, so you can get on with the business of your business. No 3am googling required.
The Tenant shall pay the Service Charge, being a fair proportion of the costs incurred by the Landlord in providing the Services, including any costs of repair, renewal or replacement of the structure of the Building.
This means you could be paying towards a new roof. There is no cap on the service charge either. Worth negotiating both before you sign.
It's where we meet neighbours, celebrate, browse, linger and belong. The independents who run it give every town its character and every community a place to gather.
And it has taken an unfair beating. Structural, political and corporate pressures, from rates and rising costs to online giants and leases written for the other side, have made it harder than ever for a nation of shopkeepers to do what it does best.
We think it's worth fighting for.
The café owner, the florist, the bike shop down the road. People we know, getting a fair start.
Put the same knowledge landlords have into the hands of the people who make a place worth living in.
Every lease set up right is a shop that stays open, a street that stays lit and a community that stays connected.
You bake, brew, cut, stitch, make, sell and serve. You create wonder, craft beauty and shape the places we live in more ways than anyone gives you credit for, by doing what you do best.
But get the property wrong on day one and it follows you for years. A rent you can't grow into. A bill you never saw coming. A lease that won't let you leave. Get it right from the start, and the space works for what you set out to do, not against it.
We run a family clubs business. When we went looking for a high street home for it, we wanted to know exactly what we were signing up for. Every page turned up another cost nobody had mentioned. Every question to a surveyor or solicitor came back with an hourly rate.
In the end, the search failed. No space. Just a large professional bill.
We hear the same from operators everywhere. "We're busy, but are we making any money?" The high street is hard enough without the property working against you.
So we built the review we wished we'd had, at a price anyone starting out can afford.
A fixed price, not an hourly rate. Every clause read, not skimmed. A person checking every finding. Your report within 48 hours, not weeks.
As entrepreneurs, we want to fix what's broken. We're building a team of AI specialists, each focused on one part of property and backed by people who've done it for years. Luke, our lease specialist, is the first.
Landlords have surveyors and solicitors who write these leases every day. Here's what we look for on your behalf.
What you pay towards the building, whether it's capped, and whether it includes things that should be the landlord's.
Whether you're on the hook for the whole building or just your unit, including problems that were there before you.
When your rent can change, how it's worked out, and whether it can only ever go up.
The cost of putting the space back at the end, and the conditions you must meet to use a break.
What you need permission for, what you can keep, and what you'll have to rip out again.
Whether you can pass the lease on if the business moves or sells, and on what terms.
How much cash is tied up, when you get it back, and whether you're personally liable.
The protections that should be there and aren't, and promises in the heads of terms that never made it into the lease.
Plain English for you. The technical detail for your solicitor. Every point tied to the clause it came from.
Our review still raised points they hadn't considered, ranked and ready to take into the next round. Not instead of their advisers. Alongside them.
General AI is brilliant at reading what's on the page. It's less good at spotting what might be missing, weighing which points matter, and judging which are worth raising. That's where we help.
We compare your lease with what a lease like yours would typically include, and flag gaps worth asking about.
Heads of terms, lease and deposit deed, side by side, so we can flag where promises may not have made it into the lease.
Points ranked by how much they're likely to matter, with our view on which are worth raising. The decision is always yours.
Every finding reviewed by a person and tied to the clause it came from, ready for you and your solicitor to take forward.
Your report is structured to drop straight into it, so you can keep asking questions with the right facts in front of it.
You know the cost before we start, and it doesn't grow with every question.
Empty shops, rising costs, landlords with all the expertise. The high street is fighting for its life, and we're in its corner. If you're a new business, a first-time operator or an independent shop, your first review and report is on us. Our way of standing with the communities you hold together.
A full review of your lease and a written report: plain English, risks ranked, negotiation checklist and true cost.
We invite operators in small batches during beta, so every review gets proper attention.
Plus anything that goes with it. Free if it's your first review, otherwise £395 and £50 per extra document, upfront.
Every clause, checked against the others. A person reviews every finding before it reaches you.
Within 48 hours, ready to take to your solicitor or the negotiating table.
We're in beta. Use Us is new and we're refining it with our first operators. Your feedback shapes what it becomes.
Luke is AI, checked by people. Every report is reviewed by a person before it reaches you, and every point cites the clause behind it.
It's information, not legal advice. We help you understand your lease and brief your solicitor. We don't replace them. When something needs one, we'll say so.
Your documents stay private. Never shared with your landlord, and deleted when you ask.
We're opening Use Us by invitation, in small batches, so every review gets the attention it deserves. Join the waiting list and we'll be in touch.
Reach out and say hi. Tell us your story. We'd love to hear what you're building, and if we can help, we will.
No question is silly. It might just be the difference between a bill and no bill.
If we could send virtual hugs, we would. This stage is stressful. It's also exciting, and quite beautiful, because your adventure is just beginning. We can't wait to see the difference you'll make to the places that make us who we are.