Contact details

Principal Surveyor

Chand Patel MRICS

Property and Estates Manager
+44 (0)20 7594 9658
c.patel@imperial.ac.uk

Level 5 Sherfield,
Imperial College,
South Kensington Campus,
London SW7 2AZ.

Property and Estates Management is responsible for the management and development of the College's core estate, as well as supporting property activities for the non-core estate of Imperial College London, such as Endowment Properties and Strategic Retained Assets.

Property and Estates Management provide professionally qualified stewardship and management of property assets, including both freehold and leasehold property and land, preserving and increasing value, whilst maintaining their integrity through policy and procedure to ensure compliance and best practice.

In collaboration with other sections in Estates, Finance and Legal Services, Property and Estates Management seeks to deliver a first class professional property service to the College in support of its Charter which states its objective as being “to provide the highest specialised instruction and the most advanced training, education, research and scholarship in science, technology and medicine, especially in their application to industry; and in pursuit of these to act in co-operation with other bodies."

The following property functions are undertaken by the team on behalf of the College covering, among other things, commercial, residential, agricultural and institutional uses:

Acquisitions and Disposals - Negotiating terms, undertaking due diligence, instruction and management of external advisers through to contract completion.
Active Asset Management Initiatives - Negotiating terms, undertaking due diligence, instruction and management of external advisers through to contract completion.
Boundaries and Ownership - Establishing and providing accurate details of boundaries and ownership of property and land, protecting College rights over property and advising on property covenants.
Business Rates - Setting policy and procedure for the treatment of business rates within the College and undertaking the management of business rates, including budgets and business rate appeals.
Commercial Telecom Sites - Negotiating and managing telecoms agreements with commercial providers.
General Property and Estates Management - Both in-house and via the management of external agents, consultants and solicitors working on behalf of the College.
Leasing, Letting and Licensing of property and land - Landlord and Tenant, Rent Reviews, Lease Renewals, Lease Compliance (contractual and statutory), Lease Re-gearing, Breaks and Expiries, Applications for Consent, Change of Use, Alterations, Assignment and Sub-Letting, and Dilapidations. Ensuring that the College position is fully protected through the appropriate use of leases, licences, consents and insurances etc., whether as a Landlord, Tenant, Licensee or Licensor.  NB all such agreements for the core estate that are made in the name of the College must only be undertaken by Property and Estates Management.
Planning Policy and Monitoring, Planning Processes - Advising on planning applications, monitoring statutory planning and policy and dealing with planning procedure processes.
Rights of Access, Wayleaves and Easements - Providing advice on rights of access, property easements and wayleaves.
Service Charges - Negotiation of and advising on service charges and liaising with Finance and external Agents on accounting, charging and collection.
Strategic Property Advice - Undertaking property asset management planning and budgeting.
Tenancy Register and Records - Maintenance of College Property Asset and Valuation Register, Tenancy Schedule and Land Registry records.
Tenant and Neighbour Relations - Managing and developing effective relationships with tenants and owners and occupiers of neighbouring and contiguous properties and land.
Valuation and Appraisal - The provision of valuation expertise to inform viability, feasibility, option appraisal and due diligence, including support of financial compliance.