Commercial lease renewals - get a move on!

The Civil Procedure Rules that came into effect in October 2001 were intended to speed up litigation between landlords and tenants. This paper argues that they have had the opposite effect in that they have made the whole process of lease negotiation more onerous and complex. In a bid to enlighten commercial property practitioners, a practical guide though the chronological minefield of Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 ("the Act") and the CPR 1998 Part 56 is offered.