Curtis Banks > Advisers > SIPP > Investments > Commercial Property > Our Commercial Property Solutions and Services

PANEL OF PROFESSIONALS

Our Commercial Property Solutions and Services

Commercial Property

In house property management solution

We're Here For You Every Step Of The Way

When we acquire commercial property via a SIPP, the ongoing management of the property will be arranged by our in house Property Management Team, unless a third party property manager has been appointed.

Our Property Team undertakes:

  • Setting up and maintaining SIPP property records
  • Managing the property bank account
  • Arranging and renewing the property insurance via our block insurance policy
  • Communicating with all third parties including valuers, property managers, lenders and solicitors
  • Invoicing and collecting rent, insurance premiums and, where applicable, service charges
  • Paying third party invoices from the SIPP and recharging these, where possible, to tenants
  • Overseeing loan accounts and payments
  • Dealing with VAT for VAT elected properties
  • Arranging rent reviews
  • Arranging new lease, lease renewals, lease variations, assignments, subletting and surrenders
  • Arranging lease end procedures, including dilapidations settlements
  • Credit control, including management of tenant rent arrears and implementation of payment plans
  • Liaising with administrators and liquidators in the event of tenant failure
  • Receiving and processing tenant applications, for example to assign, sublet or alter or change the use of property
  • Arranging any development or building works, including repair works
  • Arranging the valuation of the property for drawdown purposes
  • Arranging vacant inspections
  • Ensuring that the property is managed within HMRC requirements

Our property team is structured into specialist teams to provide you and your clients with all aspects of their SIPP property journey. Contact us to find out more.

Contact us

Panel of Professionals

Practical Solutions

Throughout a property journey, your clients will need a range of professional suppliers to assist with a range of activities. Some of these activities are mandatory, some regulatory and others discretionary, but ultimately choosing the right suppliers can influence the performance of the commercial property investment. Clients can choose their own, however the purchase and ongoing management of property within a pension is a specialist area.

Panel of Solicitors

Working with many different professionals has taught us the value that experience can add. We have established a panel of legal firms throughout the UK who are experienced in dealing with SIPP and SSAS transactions and acting on our behalf. Selecting one of the panel firms brings the benefit of lower fees.

Panel of Valuers

We also have a panel of valuers available who are experts in commercial property and pensions. The panel includes members of the PAI Commercial Property Network. Clients can still choose their own RICS accredited valuer and are not restricted to the panel. However, by working with a Panel Firm, they will benefit from fixed pricing and agreed service level agreements.

Panel Energy Assessor

We also have a panel national energy assessor firm, EPC Choice, who are able to provide Energy Performance Certificates and advice regarding energy efficiency in order to meet Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) regulations. More information regarding MEES and the impact on SIPP and SSAS properties can be found here. As with our panel solicitors and valuers, clients can still choose their own qualified energy assessor and are not restricted to the panel. However, by working with our Panel Firm clients will benefit from fixed pricing and agreed service level agreements. More information about MEES and the impact on SIPP and SSAS properties can be found here.

Panel Commercial Lending Broker

We have a panel commercial lending broker, Commercial Sense, who have built strong relationships with a panel of lenders across the market who provide SIPP & SSAS finance. Regular interaction with their key contacts ensures they not only understand their lending appetite but can get swift indicative responses from lending parties. Their fees are agreed at the outset of a lending transaction, and are success based, meaning that fees are only payable once Commercial Sense have obtained a formal offer of finance that meets the client’s needs.

Panel of Property Professionals - England and Wales Panel of Property Professionals - Scotland and Northern Ireland

Ongoing Obligations

HMRC Regulations

While we hold property within your client’s SIPP, we will need you and your clients to work alongside us to ensure that the property is managed in accordance with HMRC requirements and the terms of the lease.

Instructions

From time to time we will require their instructions or authority to settle bills or manage the relationship with the tenant. Unless we are legally obliged or contractually entitled to proceed with a particular course of action we will usually seek the client’s instructions. For properties owned on behalf of a group of individuals the client and their syndicated members will nominate a lead member for us to correspond with and to supply decisions.

Valuations

Your clients may want to ask for formal valuations of their property to help with financial planning. There will also be times when we will need valuations, either as a result of pension regulations or due to the terms of the lease. Examples of when we and your clients may need valuations include:

  • When they take their pension benefits or, if they are already in capped drawdown,
  • when they review their income limits (they will need to do this every three years up to the age of 75 and every year after that);
  • In line with the terms of insurance – Please see our property insurance notes.
  • When renewing or taking on leases; and
  • At rent reviews (in line with the terms of the lease)

Your client can nominate a valuer to carry out the valuation report. If they don’t tell us which valuer they want to use, we will appoint one from our panel of property professionals. As the legal owner of the property, we will need to instruct the valuer. Once we have a valuation, we can use it for pension purposes for up to three months.

The cost of any valuations will be met by your client’s SIPP. Please contact our Property SIPP Servicing Team if you have any questions.

SIPP Funds

It is your client’s responsibility to make sure there are enough funds in their SIPP to meet expenses such as mortgage payments, VAT, other costs (including service charges, business rates, utility bills and insurance) and their SIPP fees. If funds are not available your client will need to sell other assets in their SIPP, make a contribution to their SIPP (if allowed), or transfer funds from another pension plan. Please see the SIPP’s Key Features for full details.

Ordering the sale of your property

If your clients do not make cash available to meet meet costs that they have been told about, we may need to force the sale of the property. If this happens, we will follow our Order of Disposal Policy (you can ask us for a copy of this). We will always carry out these sales by auction so that the property is sold quickly and you do not run up further expenses.