BREEAM meaning

FORTHCOMING CHANGE : The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 obtained Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. For guidance on the Act’s effect on residential tenancies in England, see Practice Note: Renters' Rights Act 2025—key provisions. Law Society guidance on green leases The Law Society’s Guidance on Green Leases and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards sets out what green lease drafting involves, what this means for solicitors and their clients, why green leases matter, how they affect the market and client demand, and model green lease clauses. It covers commercial property in England and Wales only. The key points are summarised below. What is green lease drafting? ‘Green lease drafting’ refers to provisions by which landlord and tenant assume clear responsibilities and obligations to minimise carbon emissions linked to the sustainable development, operation and occupation of a property. Examples include energy efficiency measures, such as obtaining and/or maintaining an energy performance certificate (EPC), data sharing—eg utilities consumption, waste reduction, management and recycling, using sustainable materials for repairs and...

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Back end Contentious, disputes‑focussed legal services, for instance representing a party in litigation... Benchmarking A method for assessing whether service quality and pricing align with prevailing market levels (where they exist) without running a formal competition. It can also be applied to track improvement or evaluate performance... Best value The obligation on every local authority to arrange for continual improvement in how its functions are carried out, having regard to economy, efficiency and effectiveness (Local Government Act 1999, s 3). This entails considering costs, securing value for money, and ensuring services reflect community needs and the authority’s priorities. See Practice Note: Best value in public procurement... Bid bond Also called a tender bond (or guarantee). Used within the tender process to secure performance by bidding contractors, most commonly on international projects...

What is BREEAM? The Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) provides a framework for assessing and certifying the environmental performance of a building’s design, construction and operation. Certified buildings are given a BREEAM score and rating, allowing the environmental impacts of their design and construction to be measured and benchmarked against other certified buildings. BREEAM is owned, maintained and managed by BRE Global Ltd. BRE Global Ltd issues licences to independent, trained and qualified BREEAM Assessors who carry out assessments. Completed BREEAM assessments are then submitted to BRE for independent review and certification. Drivers of BREEAM While BREEAM is a voluntary standard, there are several drivers for undertaking a BREEAM assessment, including: Local development frameworks, via planning authorities, specify BREEAM ratings to be achieved to demonstrate the sustainability of developments. For example, in Wales, all new non-residential developments (over 250m 2) promoted or supported by the Welsh Government or its sponsored bodies must achieve BREEAM excellent, or an equivalent quality assured scheme. In...