Expertise

Jennie is an experienced and well regarded  finance and real estate lawyer with over twenty years of expertise in the social housing sector, advising both funders and Registered Providers (RPs) on real estate transactions. Jennie now acts exclusively for funders and security trustees in the sector and heads up the social housing finance property security team, dealing with the property aspects of charging large portfolios of properties as security for bank lending, bond issues, private placements and refinancing.  The social housing finance team forms part of AG's Social , Sustainable and Green Finance Group.  Jennie project manages her team of lawyers and paralegals on the larger transactions, including across office collaboration where appropriate

Jennie also represents funders to the sector as part of the Securitisation Working Group, and actively represents funders' interests with various stakeholders to the sector including UK finance, the Regulator of Social Housing and DLUHC, or on consultations affecting the sector, including such matters as housing administration, methods of modern construction, building safety, For Profit Registered Providers and rent caps .

The AG Social, Sustainable and Green finance team works on the majority of the transactions in the social housing sector, including the largest and most complex refinances and mergers, and Jennie's team carries out the property security work on all of those transactions; including the merger of Notting Hill Housing Trust and Genesis Housing Association to form Notting Hill Genesis, and the £1.6 bn refinancing as a result of the merger of Metropolitan Housing Trust and Thames Valley Charitable Housing Association to form Metropolitan Thames Valley. 

Jennie led on the property work to secure several bond issues; L&Q (£1bn in two issues), Homegroup (£350M), Wrekin (£250M as part of a £600m refinancing) and Livewest (£250M as part of a £800M portfolio) to name a few, and numerous private placements of between £50M and £100M. 

Lenders Experience includes:

• Providing advice on, and negotiating the level of due diligence appropriate to the transaction
• advising on the negotiation of Certificates on Title and the due diligence carried out by Borrowers' solicitors on refinancing, mergers and group restructures as well as traditional bilateral, syndicatable lending and allocations under Security Trust Deeds
• reporting to and advising the lender/investor on all aspects of the property being offered as security
• ensuring compliance with conditions precedent
• project managing larger transactions ensuring timescales are met
• Horizon scanning and providing detailed advice on complex matters affecting the sector;
• Providing specialist advice on affordable home ownership products and their delivery.