Exceptional strategic advice

Our practice team pride ourselves on giving straight-talking advice our national and international clients with a mantra of ‘maximising property’.

We will take the time to understand your specific concerns and approach to risk, and work with you to find the best approach to managing your charity’s property assets, whether held for the medium or long-term, or simply maximising the value of income from legacy property.

Our services

We work as an extension of your team, speaking your language and using the collaborative approach that our clients value.

Our team is nationally renowned for working with our charity clients’ dedicated and expert legacy administration teams across the country.

We focus on maximising the value of legacy property in all its many and varied forms whether residential, commercial or rural land & buildings including advising on:

  • freehold title issues
  • third party rights (easements, covenants, town and village greens, commons)
  • commercial & residential landlord & tenant matters (including short & long residential leasehold)
  • agricultural law, watercourses, riparian rights, mines & minerals & telecoms
  • first registrations (including where deeds are lost or incomplete)
  • property related professional negligence.

We also have dedicated residential and commercial teams working with our charity clients in relation to acquisitions, sales & lettings including negotiation of complex conditional contracts, overages, options and right of pre-emption.

Residuary gifts make up over 70% of legacy income for charities and the majority of this comes from Property. We believe that legacy income is key to driving charities forward! Working with PRs to promote the best handling of property to ensure each gift is received as quickly as possible and provides the greatest possible return can make a huge difference to your charity!

We feel hugely privileged to be able to assist in enhancing this vital income stream.

We understand charity shops. Retail is one of our specialist sectors: It is at the heart of our strategic approach and combines powerfully with our third sector expertise. We continue to develop our reputation as we bring in additional sector experts which helps us to keep improving the way we work with our clients who have retail operations.

We know the retail environment is changing right now – we are talking to our other charity and retail clients about where the opportunities may be found. Many charities are looking to restructure their property portfolio and/or revalue their portfolio based on the recent change in use classes announced to the planning system.

As more commerce is carried out online we have experience and insight to share about how organisations can take advantage of opportunities to drive efficiencies and connect better with their customer base.

Investment – We understand that a robust investment strategy is vital to a charity’s resilience and that direct investment in property (whether also fulfilling operational needs or purely for income and long-term growth) can be a key part of core strategy.

Our team provide the full range of advice on commercial, short and long residential and rural properties and manage significant portfolios in all areas.

Some example of our support include supporting the Charity Retail Association’s report on Social Return on Investment and worked with the Retail Trust on an initiative to combat Harrassment in Retail.

Your operational and strategic property is key to your charity fulfilling its objectives and aims.

Managing that property effectively can protect these key assets and can free up income for your core purposes. It can also add much needed income though projects and joint ventures.

As well as our portfolio offering (see Retail and Investment) we provide advice on:

  • Strategic portfolio planning
  • Statutory compliance, property related governance & Charity Commission consents
  • Permanent endowment, designated & specie property, listed buildings & scheduled monuments
  • Complex development & joint ventures.

We are proud to work alongside our charity clients in supporting your aims through this vital work.

Why choose Foot Anstey?

Our Charity Property practice is nationally renowned and respected. We have specialists who can manage portfolios, complete property transactions and advise on the full range of disputes and issues arising in relation to residential, commercial, religious, rural land and buildings including in relation to land left as gifts in wills.

We provide strategic problem solving advice and assist with dispute resolution if required. Our expertise covers the full range of property and charity property law including:

  • Disputes relating to:
    • Freehold title issues, third party rights (easements, covenants, town and village greens, commons).
    • Commercial and residential landlord & tenant disputes (including short & long residential leasehold).
    • Agricultural law, watercourses, riparian rights, mines & minerals & telecoms.
  • Portfolio management (operational, religious, office and retail).
  • Commercial & residential acquisitions, sales & lettings including negotiation of complex conditional contracts, overages, options, right of pre-emption, mines and minerals, wayleaves and telecoms.
  • Complex development and joint ventures.
  • First registrations (including where deeds are lost or incomplete).
  • Long residential lease extensions, rights of first refusal and right to manage applications.
  • Statutory compliance, property related governance and Charity Commission consents.
  • Permanent endowment, designated and specie property, listed buildings and scheduled monuments.

Our people

Our team of dedicated charity property lawyers only deal with charity property, so we understand your language and use the collaborative approach that our clients value.

We care passionately about our charity clients, and it shows in our work and how we like to build and develop our relationships with them.

Meet our team

Key contacts

What do our clients say?

“Thank you all so much for all of your hard work, expertise, advice, patience and tenacity over the last 4+ years working on the various aspects of our structural project… you have navigated, held and continually rerouted this really complex project despite the many challenges which have been thrown up.”

Charity Property client

“Foot Anstey has supported us with new leases, lease renewals and lease terminations with regard to our portfolio of shops. They have provided an excellent service and as well as advising on risk, are prepared to take a pragmatic, commercial approach which is necessary in a retail environment”

Charity Property client

Our affiliations

Institute of Legacy Management

As a corporate partner of the ILM, we deliver training and development to legacy professionals as well as share insights and support the ILM with driving best practice. Our L&D team collaborated with the ILM to design and deliver a sector leading development programme called Leadership Accelerator. Our involvement and association has also allowed the Foot Anstey team to build strong relationships with other organisations (including Berrys (chartered surveyors) and Cluttons/Savills (property agents)).

Charity Law Association

Several members of our team are members of the CLA, which plays a leading role in improving knowledge and awareness of charity law matters. The organisation is committed to sharing knowledge and expertise for the benefit of the sector as a whole. It meets regularly to exchange ideas and information and responds regularly to consultations from Government and the regulators. Members of our team contributed to the recent consultation on the Charity Commission’s draft social media guidance for charities, which has since been published.

Charity Retail Association

We are corporate partners of the Charity Retail Association – the only trade association that represents the interests of charity shops and charity retailers across the United Kingdom. We are proud to have supported their ground-breaking report on Social Value and Social Return on Investment of Charity Shops by contributing to the report’s Executive Summary, speaking at both the launch event at the House of Commons as well as a CRA hosted webinar on the subject, and supporting on its data collection.

Charity Property Association

We are members of the Charities’ Property Association, representing charities which own and manage properties as investments, and regularly speak at their popular webinars.

Insights & news

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