About Michael Lever
Born in 1949 in Ealing, West London, educated at the City of London School, my commercial property career began at Montagu Evans, London, in 1967. In 1971, I joined my late father’s firm, Fineman Lever & Company, chartered surveyors at its branch in Harrow, NW London. In 1975, I established my practice in Harrow, NW London, when I pioneered specialising in rent review and lease renewal. In 1993, I moved my office to Ledbury, Herefordshire. Most of the properties I deal with are In London, the South-East and North-West England.
As well as advising clients, I contribute to professional wisdom and market intelligence by writing about rent reviews, business tenancies, and shop property.
In 1978, I published a pamphlet, “The Framework of Rent Review Clauses”, which was given publicity in leading law and property journals. In 1983, I published a 28-page booklet, “How to do a Rent Review”; priced at £5, it was an instant hit with more than 2000 sales; and, in a letter to me was described by Professor John Ratcliffe, then Dean of the Faculty of the Built Environment at the Polytechnic of the South Bank, London (now University of the South Bank, London) as an “excellent digest of a particularly complex area of professional practice and study”. In 1984, I published a booklet, reprinted in 1988, “Investment in Secondary Shops” and, in 1988, “How to Read an Auction Catalogue”: more than 1500 sold, and many landlords have used my services regularly ever since. In 1988, I published a booklet, “The Psychology of Rent Review Negotiation”, and subsequently pamphlets and newsletters. My contribution to the world of rent review is that many of my original ideas nowadays pervade popular thinking.
My publications are welcomed by solicitors, barristers, chartered surveyors, accountants, students, public and private property companies, private investors, banks, and multiple retailers. Letters and articles appear in Estates Gazette, Law Society’s Gazette, Solicitors’ Journal, Chartered Surveyor, Arbitrator, Estates Times, The Grocer, Ledbury Reporter, Financial Times, Property Law Bulletin, MEPC plc in-house magazine, Central (Institute of Directors), Property Week, Retail Week, and Investor’s Chronicle. From November 2022 for about 5 years as a guest writer for LandlordZONE monthly newsletter, and a contributor on LZ’s commercial property forum.
In 1995, I was awarded a prize for my essay on the Future of Town Centres and Retailing in a competition sponsored by Marks & Spencer. In 1996, I received a Certificate of Academic Standing from the Law Society. For many years, I was a member of the Shop Agents Society.
I am mentioned in a Blundell Memorial Lecture and a ‘footnote’ in 2 lawbooks – ‘Land Options’ by Barnsley (1980); and ‘Drafting Business Leases’ by Lewison (1981) (nowadays, the Right Honourable the Lord Justice Lewison in the Court of Appeal).
I am on Linkedin. And since July 2022, I have been a regular guest editor for Property Law UK,
In 1984, I launched Quarterly Commentary, renamed Current Review and now Rent Review Matters, my free online newsletter about rent review, investment, and shop property. To keep in touch, please click the RSS Feed at the end of the list of articles on my newsletter’s separate site: Rent Review Matters
To complement my services, I provide Index-Linked Rent Calculator, an ITZA Calculator for explaining and expressing areas in terms of Zone A and Zone A value, including a converter for sqft to sqm, also £psf to £psm, and vice versa. All calculators are free of charge, with no log-in/registration and no obligation to use my services. You can also find information about rent reviews and business tenancies under Terminology and ML Guides.
Many of my Clients have used my services regularly since 1975. Regular Clients include property companies, private investors, family trusts, charities, multiple retailers, industrialists, and local businesses. I have experience as an executor and a trustee. For a list of companies for whom I’ve acted for and against. Please click here for the whereabouts of properties that have come my way. For my Newsletter.
The quickest way to find out what you are looking for is to Search. Simply type one or more words of your choice into the search box, and anything on this website containing at least one of the words will be displayed. For my newsletter articles and case histories, I include tags (keywords) so the search results will include one or more links to all other articles with the same tag. For example, if you search for ITZA then, as at 19 May 2025, you’ll find 8 results including two with tags. Then, when you click ‘measurement’, all items with that tag will be displayed.
There is no set formula for a rent review, but there is a recipe for success. I consider each situation on its merits and tailor my thinking to the circumstances. Having an unusually good understanding of business and property, I am both professional and entrepreneurial in my approach.
My services are frequently recommended by chartered surveyors, solicitors, accountants, and business advisers.
To contact me, please email help@michaellever.co.uk or telephone 01531 631892
I look forward to helping you in some way.
Michael Lever
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