Would you buy a used car from a dealer, with no guarantees or warranties, with probably doctored mileage?  No you wouldn’t. But that is what thousands of people do when they buy a pub, there are no guarantees and do you really know where to start to verify that all the information given to you is correct?

According to a recent survey, 64% of men, when questioned, said that owning and running their own pub is their dream occupation.  Contrast that with the startling fact that in recent years in one pub company’s track record in Britain, the average length of tenure for a landlord was only 9 months.

So while there are thousands of successful licensed premises up and down the country, why do so many landlords throw in the towel so early in their dream job?

Everyone involved in the pub trade has a vested interest in selling you that business or some form of business and will tell you what they want you to know, not what you need to know.  We try to show you these interests and vested interests where possible and welcome your feedback on any questionable activities that you think we may have missed.

The licensed trade is the least professionally educated sector in the country.  By passing a one day course you are entitled to run a complex business with no further technical training.  The course itself deals with licensing law, not how to run a licensed business or buy one. The Common Sense Guide To Buying A Pub is your guide if you decide in a moment of madness that you want to buy a pub or you think that you can run your local better than the present landlord.  You don’t have to do what we say, but at least think about it.  If this book does that then we have achieved something.

The Common Sense Guide To Buying A Pub is a concisely written e-book that contains in depth information on buying a pub; it’s content is not intended to make you rush into the first picturesque pub that you see, but to look beyond the façade and the agents glowing report.  Look at the whole business as any experienced operator will do.  If you cannot find the answer to your satisfaction, we hope to guide you to where you might get the information to answer your questions.  From this you will be able to recognise where problems may lay in your future business.

We show you the key elements of buying a pub, from who to speak to, who to take professional advice from and who to avoid. This is an impartial guide.  We need the services of Solicitors, Accountants, Banks and a whole range of accounts with a variety of supplying companies etc before you start trading, which ones do you use? Be careful about using Solicitors or Accountants that do not specifically deal with the licensed industry and where applicable leasehold premises. Do not accept anything that is described as “The Norm” without fully understanding the short term and long term implications. Far too many people buy pubs with little or no experience.  Just buying a pub without running it is quite a substantial minefield. Whilst we learn by making mistakes this guide will help you avoid the common errors and avoid the mistakes that we and many others have made in the past.

Cookseys DMP link to their web site www.cookseysdmp.co.uk