Full bio

Practice Area / Expertise

I am Head of the Commercial Real Estate and Secured Lending teams at Harold Benjamin. With over 40 years’ experience in commercial and residential property, I advise banks, bridging lenders, financial institutions, investors, developers and borrowers on high-value real estate and finance transactions throughout England and Wales. I am particularly known for acting on complex secured lending matters, commercial acquisitions and disposals, development finance transactions and time-critical deals involving sophisticated ownership and funding structures. Clients value my practical and commercial approach to transactions. Having acted for lenders, investors and borrowers for more than four decades, I focus on identifying solutions, managing risk and helping transactions complete efficiently and successfully.

I regularly advise on:

  • Secured lending transactions for banks, bridging lenders and alternative finance providers
  • Commercial property acquisitions and disposals
  • Development finance and investment transactions
  • Bridging finance facilities
  • Real estate due diligence and title investigations
  • Property portfolio acquisitions and refinancing
  • Complex ownership structures, including corporate and multi-borrower arrangements
  • Residential and commercial property finance
  • Planning, building regulations and property compliance issues
  • Landlord and tenant matters affecting lending and investment transactions

Experience Highlights

  • Acting for lenders on high-value secured lending transactions across commercial, mixed-use and residential assets
  • Drafting and negotiating finance and security documentation
  • Advising lenders on title, valuation and security issues
  • Reviewing complex title structures and identifying risks affecting lending decisions
  • Advising on planning, building regulations and property compliance matters
  • Supporting lenders and borrowers on time-sensitive transactions with challenging completion deadlines
  • Advising on development projects, sub-sales and share purchase structures involving real estate assets
  • Managing large-scale portfolio transactions involving multiple properties and borrowers
  • Acting for lenders and borrowers on numerous bridging finance and refinancing transactions involving complex security arrangements and accelerated completion timetables.

Key Transactions / Representative Matters

  • Acting for a bank on a £60 million lending facility to a consortium of four borrowers secured against a portfolio comprising more than 120 units.
  • Acting for a lender on a £58 million financing transaction secured against a portfolio of over 100 units.
  • Acting for a lender on a £50 million financing transaction involving a portfolio of more than 100 units.
  • Advising on the acquisition of a prime Central London investment property let to HSBC Bank for £24 million.
  • Advising on the acquisition of a shopping centre for £9.3 million.

Recent case studies