Carlos is a commercial property solicitor at Grant Saw Solicitors in Greenwich, South East London. Carlos has experience acting for corporations, individuals, investors and financial institutions on acquisitions, disposals, refinancing, property development work, corporate support and landlord and tenant matters.
Carlos works with clients to identify the legal and commercial issues early, explain the practical impact clearly, and keep transactions moving towards completion.
Carlos explains technical points in plain English. This is especially important where a transaction involves planning, development potential, overage, conditions or title issues that may affect the property's value, timing or completion.
Current Focus — Property Development and Development Land
Alongside his wider commercial property practice, Carlos has a growing focus on property development work and development land transactions. This includes acting on transactions where land is being bought or sold with development potential, subject to planning permission, or with future value-sharing arrangements.
Carlos's development work includes conditional sale agreements, options, promotion agreements, overage and clawback arrangements, planning-linked contracts and pre-development title and planning due diligence. These transactions often turn on the detail: what planning permission must be obtained, who controls the planning process, when a party can terminate, what happens if permission is refused or delayed, and how any uplift in value is calculated and secured.
Carlos's approach is to provide clear, commercial legal advice for development land transactions — reducing deal risk while keeping transactions moving. He works with landowners, developers, investors, SME developers, land traders, agents, planning consultants, architects and surveyors where their projects require coordinated legal input at an early stage.
Commercial Property
Carlos advises landlords, tenants, investors, developers, business owners and lenders on:
commercial freehold and leasehold acquisitions and disposals
commercial leases and agreements for lease
lease assignments
renewals and extensions
licences to assign
alter and underlet
deeds of surrender
refinancing and secured lending transactions
property due diligence
conditional contracts
option agreements
promotion agreements
overage arrangements
planning-linked contracts
development site acquisitions and disposals
the property aspects of business and company transactions
Property Development — Common Questions
What is a conditional contract for the sale of land? A conditional contract is a binding contract where completion depends on one or more conditions being satisfied. In development land transactions, the most common condition is the grant of satisfactory planning permission. The contract should clearly state what planning permission is required, who is responsible for pursuing it, the long stop date, when either party can terminate, and what happens if the permission is refused, appealed or granted subject to unacceptable conditions.
What is an option agreement? An option agreement grants one party the right, but not usually the obligation, to require the other party to enter into a sale of land on agreed terms. The option may be a call option (requiring the landowner to sell), a put option (requiring the other party to buy), or a combination of both. It is commonly used where a developer wishes to secure control of land before committing to a purchase, for example pending the grant of planning permission.
What is a promotion agreement? A promotion agreement is an arrangement under which a promoter agrees to promote land, typically by seeking planning permission, with a view to maximising its value and securing a sale on the open market. The promoter is usually paid a promotion fee, often calculated as a percentage of the net sale proceeds, if the land is sold. Unlike an option agreement, the promoter does not generally acquire a right to buy the land itself and is therefore usually incentivised to maximise the sale price. Key provisions typically deal with planning strategy, decision-making, the sale process, cost recovery, deductions from sale proceeds and the calculation of the promoter's fee.
What is overage? Overage is a mechanism that allows a seller to receive an additional payment after completion if a specified event occurs, such as planning permission being granted, development starting, or the land being sold at a higher value. Overage can be useful where land has development potential but the value is uncertain at the date of sale. The key issues are the trigger event, calculation of the payment, duration of the obligation, security for payment and whether the drafting is workable in practice.
Why is planning due diligence important when buying a development site? Planning due diligence helps identify whether the intended use or development is legally and commercially achievable. It may involve reviewing the planning history, existing permissions, conditions, section 106 obligations, CIL position, lawful use, enforcement risk, listed building or conservation issues and local plan designations. A buyer should understand these matters before exchange, as they can affect funding, design, timing, cost and exit strategy.
When should a solicitor be involved in a development land transaction? A solicitor should ideally be involved before heads of terms are agreed. Many points that later become difficult or expensive to resolve are set at the heads of terms stage, including planning risk, conditionality, price adjustment, overage, access, rights, title defects, obligations to third parties and timing. Early legal input can help ensure that the commercial deal is capable of being documented and completed.
About Carlos
Carlos is a solicitor in the Commercial Property team at Grant Saw Solicitors. He has a particular focus on property development work and development land transactions, including conditional contracts, option agreements, overage arrangements, planning-linked transactions and development site acquisitions and disposals. He also advises on wider commercial property matters, including acquisitions, disposals, financing, landlord and tenant work, and corporate support involving the property aspects of business and company transactions.
Carlos graduated in law in 2015 in Brazil and qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2018 via the Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme. He is a dual-qualified lawyer, admitted in both England and Wales and Brazil, with over 11 years’ experience in legal practice. Carlos Torres is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. SRA number 638124.
Outside work, Carlos follows the property market and enjoys spending time with family, travelling, reading and playing sports.
“The key to a successful development land transaction is identifying the risks early and giving clear, practical advice on their commercial impact — before timing, planning, funding or value assumptions become obstacles to completion" — Carlos Torres, Solicitor, Commercial Property