A break clause noticed a week too late
The lease on one site had a break option that needed notice by a certain date. The group had been considering closing the site. Nobody looked at the lease until after the date had passed. At another site, the waste contract rolled over automatically for another term at a higher rate because nobody gave notice. The fire alarm service is overdue at a third, and the contractor's reminder went to a GM who left in the spring.
None of these dates were secret. They were all in documents the group holds. Nobody had them in one place with someone watching them. The finance director only found out about the waste contract when the new invoices arrived, by which point the choice had gone.
Why renewal dates slip in a group
- Every site has its own set of leases, licences, insurances and contracts.
- Documents are stored in different places: filing cabinets, shared drives, email.
- Dates are tracked by the person who signed, who may have moved on.
- Auto-renewal and notice periods are buried in the small print.
- Acquired sites bring contracts nobody at head office has read.
What missed dates cost
A missed notice date can lock the group into a lease, a contract or a price for another term. A lapsed service or inspection can leave a site without the paperwork it expects to have. Last-minute renewals mean accepting whatever terms are offered. And the time spent hunting for documents when something is due is time nobody budgeted for.
How we build the renewals register
We do not interpret your leases or tell you what the law requires. Your solicitors and advisers do that. We build the register that makes sure the dates they give you are not missed.
- We set up a register for every site listing each lease, licence, insurance, service contract and inspection, with its key dates and notice periods.
- Documents are attached to each entry, so the lease or contract is one click away.
- Existing documents can be read with an AI extraction step to suggest dates and notice periods, which a person checks and confirms before they are saved.
- Each entry has an owner, and reminders go to them at the lead times you choose, with escalation if nothing is marked as done.
- Head office sees every upcoming date across the estate on one timeline, filtered by site or type.
- New sites and acquisitions start from a checklist of the entries each site should have, so gaps show immediately.
| Type of entry | Examples | Typical reminder |
|---|---|---|
| Property | Lease breaks, rent reviews, service charge | Well ahead of notice dates |
| Licences | Premises licence fees, music licences | Before the due date |
| Insurance | Buildings, contents, liability | Before renewal |
| Service contracts | Waste, pest control, fire systems, cleaning | Before notice or visit due |
Knowing what is coming
The ops director opens a timeline and sees every date due in the next quarter across all sites. The finance director sees contract renewals in time to shop around. Owners get reminders early, with the document attached. When a site is acquired, its register is built in the first weeks and the gaps are obvious.
Could a date be slipping in your group?
- Nobody can list every lease and contract date across the estate.
- Contracts have rolled over because notice was missed.
- Service and inspection reminders go to people who have left.
- Documents are spread across drives, email and cabinets.
- Acquired sites came with contracts nobody has reviewed.