Retail property
With an ever-changing retail landscape, expert advice keeps high street trading sustainable.
MRICS Chartered Surveyor · Tenant side only
Retail lease renewal & rent review surveyors for occupiers.
Expert help on commercial lease renewals, rent reviews, dilapidations and 1954 Act claims — saving tenants money and protecting their terms across the UK and Ireland.
Lease renewals·Rent reviews·Dilapidations·Expert witness
40+
Years in property since qualifying in 1989
£6m+
Rent saved in 5 years
UK & Eire
England, Scotland, NI, Ireland
MRICS
Chartered & academic
Services
Focused entirely on tenant representation.
An academic in real estate and a Chartered Surveyor dealing with retail property for over forty years since qualifying in 1989. If you need initial free advice on any of the following, get in touch.
01
Rent Reviews
Evidence-led review negotiation, arbitration and expert determination across the UK and Ireland.
02Lease Renewals
Renewals negotiated and, where needed, contested — protecting terms as well as rent.
03Dilapidations
Schedules challenged and settled at exit, keeping end-of-lease liability proportionate.
04Expert Witness
Independent expert evidence on rent, dilapidations and compensation for tribunal and court.
051954 Act
Security of tenure, Section 25 and Section 26 notices and the statutory renewal timetable.
06Part 1 Claims
Compensation for depreciation caused by noise, dust and vibration from new public works.
07CPO
Compulsory purchase claims for occupiers: market value, disturbance and loss payments.
08Retail Property
Shops, high streets, centres and retail parks — single sites through to national portfolios.
09Leisure & F&B
Restaurants, bars, cafés and gyms, where fit-out, covers and licensing drive the rent.
Guides
Detailed guidance on the issues occupiers face
- Commercial Rent Review Surveyor
- Lease Renewal Surveyor
- Commercial Lease Renewal
- Rent Review Surveyor for Tenants
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 Lease Renewal
- Section 25 Notice
- Section 26 Notice
- Commercial Lease Expiry
- Commercial Dilapidations Surveyor
- Section 18 Valuation
- Rent Review Arbitration
- Rent Review Independent Expert
- Retail Rent Review
- Retail Lease Renewal
- Commercial Property Expert Witness
- Part 1 Claims
- Compulsory Purchase (CPO)
- Retail Property
- Leisure & F&B
Sectors
Where we work
Leisure & F&B
Experienced across food, beverage and leisure — reviews, renewals and general property advice.
Landlord & Tenant
Book a 30-minute online consultation on a specific property issue, by Teams.
About
Chris McGarrigle
BSc (Hons), PG Cert, PG Dip, MA, MSc, MRICS, IRRV (Hons), MCIArb, MIPM, FHEA, FRSA
An urbanist, a surveyor and an academic — Chris is a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, where he is course leader on the MSc Real Estate. He qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1989 and has since built over forty years of practice in retail property. He holds an MSc in Place Management and an MA in Planning & the Built Environment, alongside postgraduate diplomas in planning and urban regeneration and in built environment research.
Previously a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University and Birmingham City University, he has taught the Law of Lease Renewals and Rent Reviews under the 1954 Act, Dilapidations, Compulsory Purchase and related professional practice.
He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, IRRV and the Institute of Place Management. Property is in his blood: from retail leasing to rent reviews, arbitration and expert witness work, saving over £6 million in retail rents in the last five years across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Acted for
- Ryman
- H Samuel
- Ernest Jones
- McColl's
- Bargain Booze
- Costcutter
- Domino's
- Tim Hortons
Testimonials
What clients say
“Chris took a lease renewal we had braced ourselves for and turned it around completely. The rent settled well below our budget and the terms were fairer than anything we had negotiated in-house.
Operations Director
UK fashion retailer
“Clear, commercial advice with none of the usual jargon. He knows the high street inside out and argued our rent review case with real authority.
Property Manager
Multi-site F&B operator
“Expert witness work of the highest standard. Thoroughly prepared, credible under pressure and genuinely a pleasure to work alongside.
Partner
Regional commercial property team
“We brought Chris in for a dilapidations claim at the end of our lease. The schedule was challenged, the settlement reduced substantially and the landlord's surveyor accepted every counter-argument.
Retail Director
Independent pharmacy group
“Across a portfolio of stores, the savings on rent reviews and renewals have been significant. More importantly, the relationship with each landlord is still intact — that balance matters to us.
Managing Director
Specialist convenience store chain
“A rare mix of academic depth and practical high-street experience. Chris gave us the evidence and the confidence to push back on a hostile lease renewal.
CEO
Leisure & hospitality brand
News & Insight
Writing on the high street
Footfall's Slow Retreat from High Street Cores
I've been observing a quiet shift, a slow drift of footfall away from the traditional high street core to its edges. It’s a subtle but persistent change.
The quiet reality of dividing a departed chain shop
A look at how landlords are carving up large, empty retail units after national chains exit, and what the replacement tells us about modern rent.
High Street Rental Auctions: a tenant's guide
High Street Rental Auctions let councils auction the lease of a long-term vacant commercial unit. Here is how the process works, what the tenancy actually gives you, and the risks occupiers should price in before bidding.
Contact
Small business focused. Initial advice is free.
For a 30-minute online consultation via Teams on a particular property issue, drop an email to schedule a time.
Send an enquiry
Tell me a little about the property and I’ll come back to you, usually the same day.