Governance
Valuation Certificate
The Directors
The British Land Company PLC
10 Cornwall Terrace
Regent’s Park
London
NW1 4QP
Dear Sirs,
The British Land Company PLC Valuation as at 31 March 2006
Basis of Instruction
In accordance with the terms of our appointment as External Valuers to The British Land Company PLC, we have valued the freehold and leasehold properties detailed below, as at 31 March 2006, for balance sheet purposes and inclusion in your financial accounts. The properties are predominantly held for investment and in some instances held for development or in the course of development or occupied by the Company.
We have excluded from this Report those properties held by way of Joint Ventures or through Limited Partnership arrangements.
These valuations have been prepared in accordance with the RICS Appraisal and Valuation Standards, Fifth Edition, issued by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Compliance and Independence
We can confirm that:
- Knight Frank LLP is appointed by The British Land Company PLC as External Valuers, as defined by the RICS Appraisal and Valuations Standards.
- Knight Frank LLP was appointed in the role as valuer in September 2005. These valuations have been undertaken under the overall supervision of the joint signatories, who have been responsible for this instruction since that time.
- In relation to Knight Frank LLP's preceding financial year, the proportion of the total fees paid by The British Land Company PLC ('the Company') and its joint venture partners to the total fee income of Knight Frank LLP was substantially less than 5%.
- We recognise and support the RICS Rules of Conduct and have established procedures for identifying conflicts of interest.
Valuation
The Properties have been valued on the basis of Market Value in accordance with the RICS Appraisal and Valuation Standards. This is an internationally recognised basis and is defined as:
"The estimated amount for which a property should exchange on the date of valuation between a willing buyer and a willing seller in an arm's-length transaction after proper marketing wherein the parties had each acted knowledgeably, prudently and without compulsion".
No allowance has been made for expenses of realisation or for any taxation which might arise, and our valuations are expressed exclusive of any Value Added Tax that may become chargeable.
Our valuations reflect usual deductions in respect of purchaser's costs and, in particular, full liability for UK Stamp Duty as applicable at the valuation date.
The properties have been valued individually and not as part of a portfolio.
We are of the opinion that the aggregate Market Value of your interests in the properties, as at 31 March 2006, was:
£11,750,071,370
(Eleven billion, seven hundred and fifty million, seventy one
thousand, three hundred and seventy pounds).
The valuations are categorised as follows:
| Freehold | Long leasehold |
Part freehold/ part leasehold |
Short leasehold |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Held as investments/ owner occupied | £10,431,341,020 | £623,575,000 | £22,800,000 | £14,450,000 |
| B | Held for development | £91,075,350 | £7,500,000 | ||
| C | In the course of development | £502,830,000 | £56,500,000 | ||
| Total value | £11,025,246,370 | £687,575,000 | £22,800,000 | £14,450,000 | |
Included within the aggregate are a number of negative values amounting to minus £240,000 (two hundred and forty thousand pounds). These have been deducted from the positive values to arrive at a net aggregate figure.
Certain properties are held on very long leases, for terms of approximately 999 years at fixed peppercorn or nominal rents. For categorisation purposes these have been included in the freehold categories. Short leasehold properties are classified as having less than 50 years unexpired.
Valuation procedures and assumptions
The properties were inspected during the last nine months.
As agreed, our valuations are based on measurements which have been provided by the Company and which were carried out in accordance with The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Code of Measuring Practice. In some cases the areas provided are as agreed with the tenants following rent review or letting.
Our valuations assume that the properties have good and marketable titles and are free of any undisclosed onerous burdens, outgoings or restrictions. We have not seen planning consents and, except where advised to the contrary, have assumed that the properties have been erected and are being occupied and used in accordance with all requisite consents and that there are no outstanding statutory notices.
We have not read all documents of title or leases and, for the purpose of our valuations, have accepted the details of tenure, tenancies and all other relevant information with which we have been supplied by the Company. When considering the covenant strength of individual tenants we have not carried out credit enquiries but have reflected in our valuations our general understanding of purchasers' likely perceptions of tenants' financial status.We have, in addition, discussed with the Company any bad debts or material arrears of rent and have considered this information in arriving at our valuations.
We were not instructed to carry out structural surveys of the properties, nor to test the services, but have reflected in our valuations, where necessary, any defects, items of disrepair or outstanding works of alteration or improvement which we noted during the course of our inspections or of which we have been advised. Our valuations assume the buildings contain no deleterious materials and that the sites are unaffected by adverse soil conditions, except where we have been notified to the contrary.
We have not carried out any investigation into past or present uses of either the properties or any neighbouring land to establish whether there is any potential for contamination from these uses or sites to the subject properties. We understand that the Company has established procedures for the inspection of newly acquired properties to be carried out with particular reference to environmental matters, and that any such matters identified receive appropriate attention. Unless we have been provided with information to the contrary, we have assumed that the properties are not, nor are likely to be, affected by land contamination and that there are no ground conditions which would affect the present or future uses of the properties.
Our valuations assume that the properties would, in all respects, be insurable against all usual risks including terrorism, flooding and rising water table at normal, commercially acceptable premiums.
For properties in the course of development, we have reflected the stage reached in construction and the costs remaining to be spent at the date of valuation. We have had regard to the contractual liabilities of the parties involved in the developments and any cost estimates that have been provided by professional advisers to the projects. For recently completed developments we have taken no account of any retentions, nor made allowance for any outstanding development costs, fees, or other expenditure for which there may be a liability.
General Conditions
This report and our valuations therein have been prepared on the basis that there has been full disclosure of all relevant information and facts which may affect them.
Our report and valuation is for the use only of the party to whom it is addressed and no responsibility is accepted to any third party for the whole or any part of its contents. If our opinion of value is disclosed to persons other than the addressees of this report, the basis of valuation should be stated. If it is proposed to publish the figure, the form and context in which the figure is to appear should be approved by us beforehand.
Yours faithfully
 |
 |
|
| R J S Johnson BSc MRICS Partner Commercial Valuations |
R D Norman MRICS Partner Commercial Valuations |
For and on behalf of Knight Frank LLP
20 Hanover Square, London W1S 1HZ
10 April 2006
Messrs. Knight Frank LLP
20 Hanover Square
London W1S 1HZ
Dear Sirs
Valuation as at 31 March 2006
I confirm our instructions for you to prepare the valuation at the above date for inclusion in our Annual Report & Accounts, of all the properties owned by The British Land Company PLC and its subsidiaries.
For this purpose we will make available to you all the information you may require which we will update through to 31 March. We will also advise you of any transactions that we are aware of that may impact on value.
Your valuation is to be undertaken in accordance with the fifth edition of the Appraisal and Valuations Standards (The Red Book) published in 2003 by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Your valuation is for a Regulated Purpose and you are to confirm that you have followed professional standards and procedures with regard to independence and quality assurance.
You will conduct appropriate inspections of each of the properties and measure, in those cases where you have not been provided with floor areas as agreed between the landlord and tenant, at the time of rent review or the initial letting. Title Reports and leases will be made available to you.
In accordance with established practice, you will attend meetings as required by the Company's auditors and the Audit Committee to discuss your work and conclusions.
Yours faithfully
For and on behalf of The British Land Company PLC
Michael I Gunston FRICS
Chief Surveyor
19 January 2006
back to top