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Sarah Rao
Commercial Property/Social Housing
Specialisms – Commercial Property specialising in development of land, social housing, general commercial property and Landlord and Tenant.
Sarah’s property development experience includes:
- Acquisition and development of land for residential and commercial use
- S106 Agreements, s38/278 Agreements, s104 Agreements
- Overage/clawback agreements
- Option and promotion agreements
- Drafting management agreements and service contracts
- Refinancing
- Plot sales
Sarah advises both commercial landlords and tenants in relation to:
- Acquisition and disposal of freehold and leasehold commercial premises
- Drafting commercial leases
- Advice relating to service charges and rent increases
- Lease renewals and assignments
- Licence agreements
- Deeds of surrender/variation/covenants
- Adverse possession claims
- Residential lease extensions
Within the Social Housing sector Sarah advises Registered Providers (formerly known as RSL’s) and charitable organisations in relation to:
- Sales of land
- Advice relating to restrictions on dealing with land and property
- Adverse possession and rights of access advice; boundary disputes
- Commercial leases and service level agreements
With legal knowledge as a given, Sarah’s strengths are the relationships she builds with her clients and the longevity of acting for the same clients for many years. Sarah advises clients on the best commercial solutions depending on the individual businesses circumstances.
Employment History
Kerwoods LLP, Redditch
Head of Commercial Property
November 2012 to September 2018
HCB Solicitors, Solihull and Stratford upon Avon offices
Senior Associate, Housing/Commercial Property Department
October 2010 to November 2012
Shakespeares (previously Needham and James), Stratford upon Avon
Associate Solicitor / Assistant Solicitor, Social Housing Department
April 2005 to September 2010
DLA Piper, Birmingham
Assistant Solicitor, Real Estate Department / Trainee Solicitor
August 2001 to January 2005
Qualifications
- The University of Birmingham, 2000 – 2001 Legal Practice Post Graduate Diploma - Distinction
- The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, 1997 – 2000 LLB (Hons) - 2:1
Sarah has been specialising in commercial property, property development and social housing for over 15 years and during her career so far, has been involved in thousands of transactions, acting for local and national businesses, land owners as well as a number of housing associations.