For agents & property managers
You know where the vacant stock is — we act on it.
We are actively sourcing meanwhile use opportunities across London. If you have come across a vacant or underused commercial building — whether you hold a current instruction or not — we can assess suitability within 48 hours and move quickly to a signed meanwhile lease.
You earn a fixed introduction fee on completion. One building, one fee, no ongoing obligation.
How you're paid
One building, one fee — paid on lease signature.
Under 5,000 sq ft
£2,500
on signature
5,000–15,000 sq ft
£4,000
on signature
Over 15,000 sq ft
£6,000
on signature
No fee is payable unless a meanwhile lease is signed. The fee is documented in a simple introducer agreement issued at heads of terms stage. You are not required to hold a current instruction on the property.
Who introduces buildings to us
The professionals who spot vacant stock first.
Commercial agents
RICS-registered agents with knowledge of vacant or underperforming stock in their patch.
Property managers
Managing agents who oversee vacant or mostly vacant buildings on behalf of owners.
Insolvency practitioners
Administrators and IPs holding commercial property assets on behalf of creditors or estates.
Independent introducers
Professionals with borough-level knowledge of commercial vacancy who act as local connectors.
The process
Four steps from introduction to fee.
You do not need to negotiate, manage the owner relationship, or understand the planning process. Your role ends at the introduction.
01
You submit the building
Street name, postcode, borough, and anything you know about size and condition. Takes under three minutes.
02
We assess within 48 hours
We review the building against our criteria and let you know if it looks viable before any owner contact is made.
03
We handle the owner
Once you have given the owner advance notice of the introduction, we take over — feasibility, heads of terms, legal, planning.
04
Lease signed, fee paid
Your introducer agreement is issued at heads of terms stage. The fee is paid on lease execution — no lease, no fee.
On owner notification. You do not need a current formal instruction on the building. What we ask is that before we contact the owner directly, you give them advance notice that you are making an introduction and that you will receive a fee if a lease results. This disclosure requirement is usually satisfied by a short email or phone call.
What we do with the building
What the owner gets — and what you can tell them.
The main thing an owner needs to understand is why a meanwhile lease at low or zero rent is in their interest. Here is what you can tell them.
Rates liability
Their business rates stop
Once Four Square occupies the building, it exits the Non-Domestic Rating List. The owner's rates liability — often £50,000–£200,000 per year for a mid-size London office — ends from day one of occupation.
Building condition
The building is maintained
Four Square manages and monitors the building throughout the term. An occupied, managed building is at lower risk of deterioration, water ingress, and squatting than a vacant one.
EPC compliance
Works may improve the EPC
Conversion works often include thermal upgrades that improve the building's EPC rating — reducing the compliance risk the owner faces under proposed 2027 and 2030 minimum standards for commercial lettings.
Ownership
They keep full legal title
This is not a sale. Four Square takes a head lease of typically 3–5 years. The owner retains full legal ownership and the building reverts to commercial use at term end. A reinstatement undertaking is built into the lease from day one.
Common questions
What agents ask us.
Do I need a current formal instruction on the building?
No. We do not require you to hold a current instruction. What we do require is that before Four Square contacts the owner directly, you give the owner advance notice that you are making this introduction and that you will receive a fee if a lease results. This is a legal requirement under the Estate Agents Act 1979. In practice it is a brief conversation or email — and many agents find it a natural reason to re-open a conversation with an owner they already know.
When exactly is the fee paid?
On lease execution — the date the meanwhile lease is formally signed by both parties. We issue your introducer agreement at heads of terms stage, so you have written confirmation of the fee before you have committed anything further. If a lease is not signed, no fee is payable. There is no partial fee for buildings that reach feasibility but do not proceed.
What if I submit a building and another agent submits the same one?
The introduction fee is paid to the first agent who submits a specific building, defined by postcode. If two submissions arrive for the same postcode, the timestamp of the first submission governs. We confirm receipt of every submission by return email with the time and date of receipt, so there is a clear record. If the same building is submitted by two agents on the same day, we will notify both and resolve the priority on the basis of who had prior contact with the owner.
How long does the process take from submission to lease?
From our 48-hour initial assessment to a signed lease typically takes 8–16 weeks, depending on planning route, lender consent requirements, and owner decision-making timelines. The fastest completions — where Class MA permitted development is available, the owner can approve directly, and there is no lender — have reached heads of terms in under four weeks. We keep you updated at each stage.
Does the owner have to agree to zero rent?
The meanwhile lease is typically at a peppercorn or low rent. The reason most owners agree is that their business rates liability — which can run to £50,000–£200,000 per year for a mid-size London office — is eliminated from the date of occupation. For an owner who has been carrying full rates for more than three months after the void relief expired, a zero-rent lease that eliminates that liability is financially positive from day one. We handle this conversation with the owner — you do not need to sell the economics.
What happens to the building at the end of the lease?
The building is returned to its original commercial configuration at term end. A schedule of condition is agreed before any works begin, a reinstatement undertaking is built into the head lease, and a sinking fund is maintained throughout the term to cover reinstatement costs. The owner keeps full legal title throughout and the original planning use class is preserved — so the building reverts to commercial use without any further planning action from the owner.
List a building
That building that's been sitting empty for months? No live deal, and the owner is still paying business rates on it every quarter.
We pay a fixed fee, direct to you, the day a meanwhile-use agreement is signed. Fully disclosed, no catch.
Introduction received
Thank you for sharing this opportunity with Four Square. We've received the details — our team will review it and come back to you within 48 hours (2 business days) with next steps if we'd like to explore it further.
A confirmation email has been sent with your reference number. If you can't see it in your inbox, please check your other email folders.
If you need to follow up, you can reach us at Properties@foursquare-partners.com or book a call via our website.
Please keep your reference number handy for any future conversations.