Our Occupier team provides a comprehensive service to clients. We have the ability to deliver all the advice that is required in the process - from agreeing heads of terms through to move in date. In fact, we have provided advice on almost every size and type of corporate relocation, expansion or first time acquisition and are as comfortable advising on large scale office HQ deals as we are on small space acquisitions.
As one of the leading real estate law firms, we have a deep understanding of occupational property including issues relating to the fabric of the building, its M&E systems and provision of landlord services.
What is a corporate occupier?
Corporate occupiers are commercial entities which occupy space for the purpose of their own business. While some corporate occupiers are tenants, others may own the freehold of land, or occupy other than as a tenant. In some circumstances a corporate occupier may also be a landlord, looking to sub-let space, but what differentiates them from commercial landlords is that they do not invest in real estate primarily to carry on a lettings business.
We recognise that not all of our occupier clients are the same; some make complex financial transactions, others make movies. While businesses need real estate, real estate is rarely their business. We make it our business to ensure that our clients’ premises work for them.
With experience in every kind of commercial property, we advise occupiers across a range of sectors including:
- Tech Media and Telecoms
- Banking and finance
- Law and professional services
- Publishing
- Film, TV and streaming
- FTSE 100 corporates
Our role is to act as trusted advisor throughout the process. We take time to understand our clients’ needs, including timescales, ensuring that they are made aware of any issues, risks or opportunities. We have excellent working relationships with the leading property agents and our experience shows that working collaboratively with existing teams on issues such as location, size of space and specification will help to ensure that the project runs on time, within budget and with minimal disruption to the client’s day-to-day business.
Recent experience
- Forsters advise Taconic Capital on lease renewal
- Forsters advise Left Bank Pictures on office relocation
- Forsters advise Evolution Markets on relocation within the City
- Forsters act for the FCA on new office letting
- Forsters advise Gulf International Bank on HQ letting and sub-lease
- Forsters advise Elsevier on Alphabeta disposal
- Forsters advise RELX on HQ letting
- Forsters advise SciBite on lease renewal
Corporate Occupiers - Key terminology guides
A list of key terminology and concepts relevant to corporate occupiers of UK real estate with their plain English explanations.
Sustainability in the built environment
The move to further sustainability within Real Estate is increasingly driven by the increased connection between sustainability and financial viability.
‘The 2025 office: static, evolved or extinct?’: Glenn Dunn, Victoria Towers and Katherine Ekers deliver Lexology webinar
Forsters’ Head of Occupier Services, Glenn Dunn, and Commercial Real Estate Partners, Victoria Towers and Katherine Ekers, discuss what form the office could take in the future.
Podcast: A focus on Corporate Occupiers
Miri Stickland talks to Glenn Dunn, head of Forsters’ corporate occupiers sector group, about the current central London office market, key considerations when planning an office relocation and the recent move to agile working for the Forsters’ Commercial Real Estate team in our new offices at Berkeley Square House.
The future of office space
Property Litigation Partner, Ben Barrison, and head of Forsters' corporate occupier practice, Glenn Dunn, have co-authored an article for EG entitled, ‘Office space: how to downsize for the new normal’.
