Skip to content
Menu

Home › Our people › Fran James

Fran James

Director | Social Housing and Property

Get in touch

+44 (0) 330 137 3479

+44 (0) 7543308465

Email Fran

Download vCard

Fran is a Director in our Social Housing Property team. She acts for national and regional registered providers and local authorities, dealing with all aspects of property work and specialising in development transactions.

Fran has extensive experience in the sector, with her specialism being affordable housing development. Fran prides herself on her straightforward and pragmatic approach, which enables her to foster meaningful relationships with clients and third parties alike. Fran’s experience spans the entire length of the transaction from head of terms negotiation through to acquisition, ancillary agreements during the course of development and then setting up the site for plot disposals.

Fran is experienced in variety of different contractual structures including whole site acquisitions, either self-build or back-to-back contractor led schemes together with plot acquisitions from developers, either S106 acquisitions or additionality plots on both turnkey and golden brick arrangements. Fran has a keen focus on the whole lifecycle of a development and the importance of keeping in mind the end product, even when a transaction is just beginning.

Fran started her career in commercial property, developing expertise in sales and acquisitions, leases, lease management work and providing property support to corporate transactions.

Fran also has extensive experience in supported living transactions including the lease based model. Fran has previously acted for each of the different stakeholders involved in these transactions including developer, housing provider, registered provider and the REIT which means she is uniquely placed to give a rounded view on the transaction as a whole.

Experience

  • Development transactions: head of terms negotiations, land led schemes, plot purchases from developers including s106 and additionality acquisitions, conditional contracts and options;
  • Infrastructure: section agreements, transfers, leases and easements;
  • Site set-up for plot disposals;
  • Overage;
  • Supported/independent living arrangements, including those involving a REIT;
  • Leases (both commercial and residential) ;
  • Lease management issues e.g. renewal leases, licences to assign/sub-let/alter;
  • Licences to occupy;
  • Title rectification work;
  • Home Ownership: Right to buy, right to acquire and staircasing;
  • Portfolio acquisition; and
  • Bespoke training for clients and precedent document preparation.

Expertise: Sectors

Built Environment

Expertise: Services

Built Environment

What people say

  • Francesca is very knowledgeable and has a very calm and reassuring demeanour, this is noticeable by all parties which allows Francesca to build excellent relationships with the other side's solicitors. No query is ever too much - knowledgeable across all things housing and offers solutions to problems without being prompted

    Legal 500

  • A good sounding board and at times feel like part of our team

    Legal 500

  • Very responsive and looks to find solutions to challenges that crop up

    Legal 500

  • Approachable, responsive and works to tight deadlines when required

    Legal 500

  • Detailed, explains issues really well and works collaboratively and commercially to resolve problems

    Legal 500

My insights