John Williams' Curriculum Vitae

Name: John Williams
Qualification: FRICS, ACIArb
Specialism: Landlord & Tenant Negotiations
Rental & Dilapidations Valuations
Accredited Expert Witness

Key Skills

Over 20 years experience of retail and commercial rent review and lease renewal negotiations
Over 18 years experience of Dilapidation Diminution Valuations
Extensive experience of other lease dispute negotiations within tenant and landlord portfolios.
CUBS Accredited Expert Witness in Court, Arbitration and Expert proceedings
Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

Experience

John is a highly experienced L&T negotiator, acting on reviews and renewals for both landlords and tenants across a broad spectrum of clients including national and international corporations and small private clients. He has an in depth understanding of Landlord & Tenant caselaw and of the operation of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954. He has been asked on numerous occasions, by both client’s and firms of solicitors, to advise on the drafting of aspects of standard form leases, short-term flexible tenancy agreements and on the amendment to lease formats under 1954 Act renewals.

His experience also lends itself to the assessment of values arising from a number of types of property dispute including Schedule 6 Compensation (Landlord & Tenant Act 1954) and Dilapidation Diminution Valuations. In recent years his involvement in Dilapidation Valuations has grown considerably and he has been at the forefront of identifying the shortcomings, for Expert Witness purposes, in current valuation methodology and developing alternative more robust valuation methods to provide a firm foundation from which to give evidence and to face Cross Examination. He has also been at the forefront of promoting and developing Alternative Dispute Resolution options in relation to Dilapidation Disputes.

John’s in depth experience has developed a thriving role as an Impartial Expert Advisor and Expert Witness not only on Rent Review/Lease Renewal and Dilapidation disputes but also other leasehold disputes involving the interpretation of lease terms and their impact on operations and values.

John has been involved in a number of substantial portfolio instructions:-

Between 2002 and 2004 he was the lead surveyor for the valuation, consolidation and expansion of the East and West Midlands’ portfolio for CAFCASS, including negotiating new acquisitions, premises refits, surrenders and dilapidations.
In 2000 he undertook the valuation of the South West portfolio for the Oil & Pipeline Agency.
Between 1999 and 2000 he was the lead surveyor for the valuation of the Probation Service’s South West and South Wales regional portfolios.
In 1999 he was responsible for the valuation of Barclays Bank’s ‘Central South’ operational portfolio.
Between 1997 and 1998 he was one of two surveyors responsible for the valuation of the Wales and West England region of the MOD portfolio.

Prior to establishing Maple Leaf John was one of two senior asset managers for a PLC investment and development company with holdings throughout the UK, responsible for:-

The performance of a £230 million investment portfolio including retail (retail park, shopping centre and high street), office and industrial properties,
The management of an occupational portfolio of over 100 retail and office premises for subsidiary companies
the management and development of two operational airports’ terminals.

In particular he was responsible for the provision of Landlord & Tenant advice in relation to rent reviews, lease renewals and dilapidation valuations across the national portfolios.

Prior to this John was a Divisional Management Surveyor with the Welsh Development Agency responsible for all aspects of an allocated portfolio of office and industrial estates, including lettings, reviews/renewals, investment disposals and the coordination of maintenance/repair/dilapidation disputes, including diminution valuations.