17 October 2025
James Naylor of Naylor Solicitors dissects the government’s plan to outlaw upward-only rent review (UORR) clauses in new commercial leases under Schedule 31 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, in this week's NLJ. The reform, he explains, marks a seismic shift in landlord-tenant power dynamics: rents will no longer rise inexorably, and tenants gain statutory caps and procedural rights
Ministers say the ban will revive high streets and curb landlord ‘profiteering’; investors warn it could destabilise property values and shorten lease terms.
Naylor’s analysis balances both camps, asking whether landlords and tenants are truly adversaries—or partners in economic survival. The message is clear: with the days of UORR clauses numbered, commercial leasing enters a new, more regulated era.
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