Whether you own a farm, manage an estate, or invest in rural land, our Agricultural & Rural Property solicitors offer straightforward, commercially focused legal advice. We help clients protect, manage and maximise the value of their rural assets with confidence.
We can help with:
- Buying and Selling Farms and Agricultural Land – Advising on the purchase, sale and transfer of farms, agricultural land and rural estates.
- Agricultural Tenancies and Occupation Agreements – Drafting and advising on farm business tenancies, grazing licences, Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies, succession tenancies and other rural occupation arrangements.
- Renewable Energy Schemes – Assisting landowners with solar, wind, battery storage and other renewable energy projects.
- Natural Capital and Environmental Projects – Advising on biodiversity net gain, carbon capture schemes and environmental land management opportunities.
- Rights of Way and Access Issues – Advising on matters relating to public and private rights of way, access arrangements and boundary issues.
- Strategic Land and Development Agreements – Advising landowners on promotion agreements, option agreements and long-term development opportunities.
We can help you to review the way in which agricultural land, farm buildings, farmhouses and cottages are owned or let. These assets may be eligible for valuable tax reliefs (such as Agricultural Property Relief or Business Property Relief from Inheritance Tax). These reliefs are subject to strict conditions and, in recent years, claims for relief have come under increased scrutiny from the Revenue. This, together with a huge increase in land values, makes the need for timely review and good advice even more essential. We can help with this.
We can advise you on the availability of tax reliefs and changes to the structure of your business, or the ownership of farmland and other assets, which may boost tax reliefs available and reduce or eliminate your liability to tax.
Some of our specialisms include:
- Advising upon succession rights and implications of Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies (AHA tenancies) and the inheritance tax issues involved;
- Preparing transfers of farm cottages to the children of landowners as part of their long term tax planning strategy; and
- Considering existing tenancy and leasehold arrangements in a mixed farming business and implementing an appropriate strategy to minimise the potential inheritance tax liability.
