Absolutely not the case that a negotiation without a deal leaves you with the status quo. One negotiation I was involved in (but didn't lead) was following the Council announcing a compulsory purchase order on a building we owned and operated a business from. The Council were going to [and subsequently have] bulldoze that quarter of the town centre for redevelopment so all businesses in that portion of town needed to be cleared. First step is to negotiate a sale with the Council, if that fails it goes to court. Either way the status quo was no longer an option the second the decision was made to bulldoze that area. That decision to bulldoze town and redevelop it was akin to the Brexit referendum and the formal notification and start of negotiations was akin to Article 50.