Leasing premises

1. What is the difference between a lease and a licence?
2. Do I need a survey when I lease premises?
3. What initial costs will I pay when taking a lease?
4. What ongoing costs do I need to look out for?
5. What service charges should I expect to pay?
6. Will I need to insure premises I lease?
7. What is the situation if the premises are currently occupied?
8. Will the lease include the contents of the premises?
9. Do I need to check the lease myself or can I leave it to my lawyer?
10. What rights do I need the lease to include?
11. What restrictions should I look out for?
12. What is a break clause and what should I look for?
13. What do I need to look out for when I purchase a lease from an existing tenant rather than a new lease from the landlord?
14. What do I need to look out for when I sub-let a property from a landlord who owns a lease rather than the freehold?
15. How do rent reviews work?
16. Will I be able to get out of the lease if I no longer want the premises?
17. Will I be able to sub-let part or all of the premises?
18. What liability for maintenance and repairs will I have?
19. How can I negotiate a better deal?
20. At what point in the negotiation does the deal become legally binding?
21. How long does it take to finalise a lease agreement and can I prevent the landlord from accepting other offers in the interim?
22. Can I use a lease as security for a bank loan?
23. What happens if I discover a major problem (eg a structural problem) after I have taken a lease?
24. What happens when the lease expires?