Installing energy infrastructure in a leased commercial property requires landlord consent for structural work — standard in commercial property and manageable. HNordic can engage the freeholder directly.
A commercial occupier who reads hnordic.com may assume the energy infrastructure programme applies only to freeholders. It does not. The programme can be structured for leaseholders — provided landlord consent is obtained for structural or plant-room works. This consent is a standard commercial property process, not an exceptional hurdle.
Most commercial leases in England and Wales include an alterations clause requiring tenant consent — specifically, formal licence to alter — for structural changes, including roof-mounted installations and plant room equipment. This applies whether the work is solar panels, a battery system, a wind turbine mounting, or EV charging infrastructure in a car park.
The consent process involves a formal application to the landlord or their managing agent, supported by technical documentation: drawings, specifications, compliance certificates, and structural load calculations where relevant. The landlord (or their surveyor) reviews the application and grants or withholds consent on defined grounds. Consent cannot be unreasonably withheld for most types of improvement under general commercial lease principles, though the specific lease terms govern.
HNordic provides all the technical documentation required for the consent application as part of the installation preparation.
The classic problem in commercial leasing — a landlord who funds an upgrade and a tenant who captures the cost benefit — is something HNordic's operating agreement is designed to address. The operating agreement can be structured for either the landlord or the occupier as the contracting party, depending on who holds the energy supply responsibility for the property.
If the occupier holds the electricity supply contract and pays the energy bills, the agreement runs with the occupier — they receive the energy cost reduction and the contracted income. If the landlord holds the electricity supply (common in multi-tenanted buildings with common area supplies), the agreement runs with the landlord. In either case, the party who benefits from the energy programme is also the party with the contractual relationship with HNordic.
New and renewed commercial leases increasingly contain green lease clauses — obligations on both landlord and tenant to cooperate on energy improvements, to share energy consumption data, and in some cases to maintain minimum EPC standards. Where a green lease clause is in place, the landlord's consent to an energy upgrade may follow more readily, or the obligation to cooperate may be established by the lease terms directly.
HNordic can assist with the technical input to green lease negotiations where a property owner is renewing a lease and wishes to incorporate energy infrastructure as part of the heads of terms.
Where consent is required, HNordic prepares and supports the application:
HNordic can engage directly with the landlord's surveyor where the occupier prefers this. The consent timeline is factored into the project programme at the start.
See also: Does installing energy infrastructure affect building insurance? · What types of commercial property qualify? · Full FAQ