Welcome to the BBP Green Lease Toolkit! 

Sustainability has become a core business issue across the commercial property sector. The BBP is proud to work with many of the leaders in the industry, providing practical tools to support the delivery of better buildings for investors, owners, occupiers, and the communities in which they operate. Through our work, we know this requires deep commitment and engagement with many stakeholders. A recent review of BBP Climate Commitment Signatories Net Zero Carbon Pathways, found that Scope 3 emissions can make up over 85% of owners' carbon footprints. Engagement with occupiers should therefore be at the heart of owners’ sustainability strategies.

Since the original version was produced in 2008, our Green Lease Toolkit has been one of the BBP’s most widely utilized tools, not only here in the UK, but also in other countries where it has helped to inform leading thinking on how leases can be drafted to support owners’ and occupiers’ sustainability ambitions. The toolkit supports the BBP’s overarching aims to:

• Enable market transformation through sustainability leadership and collaboration by providing an independent tool to support greater owner-occupier alignment. 
• Improve professional understanding through knowledge sharing by providing model clauses, drafting guidance and resources to support upskilling.
• Develop common approaches for the industry by providing ‘green lease essentials’ and menus of options for those at different starting points in their sustainability journey.  

Whilst a green lease in simple terms is the legal agreement in a transactional relationship, when seen as part of a wider owner-occupier engagement strategy it can be a powerful tool, unlocking the potential for positive and open dialogue and helping to transform the environmental and social impact of a building. 

The BBP plays an important part in driving market transformation by providing practical tools for the industry, but of course, this will only be effective if these tools are widely socialized and used within the industry.  We encourage all commercial property owners and occupiers to explore this toolkit, utilize the clauses contained within it and feedback their experiences to the BBP via email to greenlease@betterbuildingspartnership.co.uk

The development of the toolkit has been a truly collaborative effort, supported by over 30 different organisations across the built environment sector. We are incredibly grateful to all of those organisations and individuals who have contributed and will continue to do so as the Toolkit becomes a living tool for the industry. 

Sarah Ratcliffe, CEO, Better Buildings Partnership

DISCLAIMER

This Toolkit and the legal clauses within it have been prepared in good faith on a pro bono basis and are free to download and use. The clauses have been drafted and edited by a variety of lawyers and, as such, the approaches to drafting may not conform to any particular drafting norms. They are provided on an ‘as is’ basis and without any representation or warranty as to accuracy or that the clauses will achieve any particular outcome or purpose.
 
The Toolkit and the clauses do not comprise, constitute or provide personal, specific or individual recommendations or advice of any kind, and do not contain or amount to legal or financial advice in any way. The clauses are precedents for legal professionals to use, amend and negotiate using their professional skill and judgement and at their own risk.
 
While care has been taken in the drafting of these clauses, neither the Better Buildings Partnership nor any of its contributors owe a duty of care to any party in relation to their preparation and do not accept any liability for any errors or omissions, nor for any loss incurred by any person relying on or using these clauses or any other person. Users should use their own professional judgement in the application of these clauses to any particular circumstance or jurisdiction and should seek independent legal advice.
 
The Better Buildings Partnership is the owner or the licensee of all intellectual property rights in this Toolkit and the clauses. They are protected by copyright laws and all such rights are reserved unless we have expressly agreed otherwise.  You, your business or organisation are permitted to use the clauses for commercial, non-commercial, academic or research use worldwide (including, without limitation, to copy, modify, amalgamate, download, or distribute the clauses), subject to your acceptance of the terms set out in this disclaimer.  The clauses may not be published “as is” in unmodified form without attribution to the Better Buildings Partnership.