Jones Melling appointed to oversee O2 franchise takeovers

North West-based chartered surveyor, Jones Melling, has been appointed to undertake Building Surveys and review potential Dilapidations liabilities as part of a number of takeovers of nationwide O2 stores.

The company will be responsible for ensuring that stores are in an acceptable condition, prior to a franchisee taking them over from being centrally run by O2. Building Surveys and Interim Schedules of Dilapidations will be compiled for each of the stores.

This process is being carried out in a bid to avoid franchise owners being issued with unjust charges for poor maintenance at lease end that are not applicable to them. Surveys have so far been carried out in cities across the North West, as well as Weymouth, Bishops Stortford and London.

Work is ongoing and stems from Jones Melling’s longstanding relationship with Liverpool-based O2 franchisee, James Levine, of Levine Retail Ltd. The partnership helped to generate an upsurge of franchise contracts in 2013 for Jones Melling.

Levine said: “I have used Jones Melling for a number of years now and have always been extremely satisfied with the work they have carried out. Dilapidations disputes between landlord and tenant are common place and can often result in a large, unexpected bill, sometimes running into many thousands of pounds. Having great advice is key and Jones Melling has always supplied this without an extortionate price tag.”

The majority of leases include a clause that requires the tenant to return the property to the landlord in a state of good repair at lease end. However, properties deteriorate for a number of reasons. This sets the scene for a dilapidations dispute. The stakes can be high and dilapidations settlements can contribute largely to the success or failure of an investment thus Jones Melling’s involvement to ensure no long standing repair and maintenance issues are passed on from O2 to the franchisees.

Jones Melling is a Dilapidations specialist, acting for both landlords and tenants. It is able to provide numerous services in the Dilapidations field, from preparing Pre-Dilapidations Assessments and Schedules of Dilapidations, through to defending and settling these claims.

Gary Melling, joint founder and managing director at Jones Melling, said: “This is a brilliant project. O2 is transferring a large number of its stores to franchisees, giving them the rare opportunity to grow their own businesses under the umbrella of an extremely reputable global brand. As such, it’s really important for franchisees to carry out thorough property inspections to make sure that there are no nasty surprises at lease end.”

Jones Melling Limited is an independent, multi-disciplinary practice of chartered surveyors, which provides a diverse array of consultancy services to the construction and property industries. It offers four service streams: building surveying, quantity surveying, project management and technical support.