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Freehold enfranchisement is increasingly popular among leaseholders, who are encouraged by the prospect of owning their own freehold, being able to get rid of their current freeholder and managing agent, being able to extend their leases, and gaining control over how the building they live in is managed. I many cases obtaining the freehold of a ... Read more >>

With space in London at a premium and house prices seemingly always rising, extending your property is seen as an attractive alternative to moving. Whilst there are always numerous costs and factors to consider when planning such work, owners of leasehold flats have an even more burdensome task in comparison to their freehold/house owning ... Read more >>

Notices Once you have received a copy of your report you will need to pass a copy to your solicitor who will use our best case figure to serve a formal Notice. Technically this is a Section 42 for lease extensions and a Section 13 Notice for freehold enfranchisements.Once the notice is served the freeholder has a period of 2 months to respond ... Read more >>

Most surveyors and solicitors practicing in the leasehold property sector will be familiar with the rights of lessees to obtain their freehold either by way of a collective enfranchisement under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, or (in the event of a disposal by the landlord) by electing to the collective Right of First ... Read more >>

The statutory lease extension process, as with so many Landlord and Tenant matters, is traditionally adversarial. However, it need not necessarily be so. In most instances the leaseholder simply wants to extend their lease with the minimum fuss and expense and without being extorted in the process. Likewise, many non-institutional freeholders are ... Read more >>

The most common way for a leaseholder to extend their lease involves a solicitor serving a Section 42 notice (S42) on their freeholder under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. This notice not only compels the Freeholder to grant the lessee a new lease equal to the existing term plus 90 years at a peppercorn ground rent, ... Read more >>

If you own a flat or maisonette it is almost certainly held on a lease. The original term of the lease is likely to have been 99 or 125 years and there will be provisions for the Landlord to collect ground rent every year at an amount that will normally increase throughout the term of the lease.As the remaining term of the lease reduces so ... Read more >>

In past blogs I have covered the many issues in regards to extending or acquiring a new lease; however most of these have only taken us as far as the point of valuation. This blog will focus on the statutory process once your surveyor has produced his report and also look to highlight some potential pitfalls.The first step to initiate the ... Read more >>

Some of the terminology used when decribing a lease extension or freehold purchase can be a touch technical so we thought it would be a good idea to include them all together in this glossary. If there are any other definitions that you think will be of use to include drop us a line and we’ll update our list.The ‘Act’ The ... Read more >>

We often receive enquiries from leaseholders who either have their property on the market or are planning to do so, and have just discovered the implications of having a short lease. Quite often in my experience, estate agents when first acquiring a flat on their books will underplay the impact of a shorter lease. Click through any number of ... Read more >>