Sharratts (London)

Number of Partners: 7
Assistant Solicitors: 2
Other fee-earners: 11

Contacts
Development & Planning: Nick Wookey, Ben Halsey, Leo Stevens, Jane Sewell
Sales/Auctions/Re-sales: Sarah Jarvis, Paul Skelton

THE FIRM A niche practice with wide expertise, almost exclusively acting for Registered Providers, their subsidiaries and other providers of Affordable Housing. Established in 1999 Sharrats’ client base and area of operation now extends throughout the whole country.

Sharratts is a specialist practice. The firm undertakes only property related transactions for Registered Providers, Developers/Contractors, Local Authorities and other providers of affordable housing products. The firm’s primary focus is affordable housing and subsidised housing products. The practice has grown and developed through recommendation, strong client retention rates and Sharratss continues to expand.

The office is near Sevenoaks in Kent close to the M25 and major rail links. See the firm’s website www.sharrattslondon. co.uk for more information about the firm, the work it does and its team.

Areas of Practice
Social Housing: 90%
Private Developers: 10%

PRINCIPAL AREAS OF WORK All areas of property work including Development Site Acquisition, Planning, Building Contracts, Joint Ventures, Shared Ownership Sales, Private Sales (including Help to Buy and other Shared Equity products, RTB/RTA, Auctions, Lease Extensions, Staircasing and Re-sales.

Development: The whole team of seven (including five partners) specialises in development site acquisition, property/land acquisition and disposal, building contracts, planning (including Section 106 Agreements). Each member of the team has previous City experience and is an expert in this area and is recognised as such by their peers and clients in the sector. Sharratts offers a Partner led service where your principal point of contact will always be a senior lawyer. The firm’s commitment to client service is absolute, whether acting on an acquisition of a scheme of 10 units or a joint venture acquisition of several hundred units Sharratts’ traditional client base has been acting for Registered Providers and its core client base includes several G15 providers. In the last 18 months the firm’s lawyers have also acted for private developers/contractors with regard to major site acquisitions and disposals involving a mixture of tenures. As the Affordable Housing market continues to evolve its client base also now includes developing Local Authorities and institutional investors.

Contact: Nick Wookey on 01959 598023 or [email protected] for more information
Sales: This team of eleven specialise in plot sales of all tenures (private, shared equity, Shared Ownership and Help to Buy), Shared Ownership resales, staircasing, RTB/RTA, lease extensions and leasehold management issues/general landlord and tenant advice. All team members have many years of experience in the sector and specialising in this type of transaction allowing them to provide a friendly, efficient service to Sharratts clients, and maintaining at all times an extremely high level of service and client satisfaction.
Contact: Sarah Jarvis on 01959 568017 or [email protected] for more information

Asset Management: This partner led team specialises in auction sales, sales/purchases of land/property (not development), Stock Transfers, property charging, and other property related matters as required by clients. This specialist team are experienced in all property matters so as to provide a wide-ranging high-level service to the firm’s clients.
Contact: Paul Skelton on 01959 568029 or [email protected] for more information

What Sharrats offers
■ Fixed fees on all matters agreed at the outset
■ Risk Sharing — Sharratts offers free advice to clients ahead of formal instruction, on the majority of matters the firm will also not charge an abortive fee if the matter does not proceed
■ Free legal training to your team on subjects which suit your circumstances/requirements
■ Meetings — Sharratts does not charge for attending meetings/site visits

CLIENTS Main clients include L&Q, Clarion, Hyde, Southern Housing, Vivid, Aster Group, Moat, Optivo, Peabody, Notting Hill Genesis, Paragon Asra, Town and Country, Golding Homes, West Kent and MHS.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS AND HIRES In the past 12 months:
■ Over £1 billion transactional value site acquisitions
■ Over 2500 sales/re-sales
■ Shortlisted for ‘Best Legal Services Firm’ at the National Housing Awards 2019
■ Leo Stevens joined as a Partner

KEY FRAMEWORK APPOINTMENTS In the past 18 months Sharratts has successfully tendered to be appointed to the following legal frameworks -
■ L and Q
■ Peabody
■ Notting Hill Genesis
■ Hyde
■ Town and Country
■ Heylo Housing
■ South East Consortium
■ Greenfields Community Housing Trust
■ Vivid
■ Aster Group