National law firm advises on major partnership

The Plymouth office of national law firm Bond Dickinson LLP has advised its client Rentplus, the affordable homes provider, on a partnership that will see the introduction of the rent-to-buy model to Cambridgeshire.

The partnership was struck with social housing organisation King Street Housing Society (KSHS) and will help address some of the housing issues facing the region, including the lack of affordable homes. The partnership will see new properties being made available to local families and workers, providing residents with an affordable and sustainable way into homeownership. KSHS is Rentplus's first housing association partners in the region which will help towards delivering 1,000 homes across Cambridgeshire.

The Bond Dickinson team, led by Plymouth-based Legal Director Samantha Orluta, advised Rentplus on all aspects of the negotiations with KSHS, including negotiating the Collaboration agreement, consortium agreement, agreement for lease, lease, tenancy agreement and relevant Rentplus policies.

Samantha Orluta said: "We're delighted to have advised Rentplus on this transaction. Rent-to-buy is a fairly new initiative, making aspects of this partnership complex but our real estate and housing expertise coupled with the professionalism and proficiency of the team enabled us to deliver the best possible outcome for the client."

Richard Connolly, Chief Executive at Rentplus, added. "We have been working with Bond Dickinson for some time and their advice and expertise is something we really value. Our partnership with KSHS means that we are on track to deliver 1,000 rent-to-buy homes in Cambridgeshire."

With extensive experience dealing with real estate and housing matters, Bond Dickinson's key clients include Taylor Wimpey, Grainger, Linden Homes and Akelius. Located across seven UK cities, the firm's expertise also extends to a range of sectors including retail, insurance, financial institution, energy, manufacturing, transport and private wealth.

Bond Dickinson is the largest law firm in Plymouth where it employs more than 180 staff.