In the recent case of Ramsay v Love [2015] EWHC 65 (Ch), the
celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was found to be bound by a personal
guarantee given to a landlord, even though he had not physically
signed the guarantee document.
Background
A lease over a prominent building near Regent's Park which
now contains the York and Albany restaurant and hotel was granted
to Gordon Ramsay Holdings International Ltd (GRHI) in February
2008. The lease was for 25 years and the yearly rent was set at
£640,000 per year with an upwards only rent review every 5
years during the term. The lease was guaranteed by Gordon
Ramsay Holdings (GRH) and Mr Ramsay personally. Mr
Ramsay's signature was written on the counterpart lease by an
automatic signature machine. The machine was kept at the offices of
GRH. Mr Ramsey's father- in-law, Mr Christopher Hutcheson, was
the Chief Executive Officer of GRH.
