Skip to main content

Lease extension and enfranchisement solicitors

If you own a leasehold property, extending the lease or purchasing the freehold can help you protect or increase its value.

Whether you are a landlord, an individual tenant, or part of a group of residents, we can advise you of your rights concerning owning a leasehold property.

Our solicitors have extensive experience in a wide range of areas, including collective enfranchisement, lease extensions, and the right to manage.

Collective enfranchisement

According to the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, tenants of a property who meet specific qualifications reserve the right to collective enfranchisement, allowing qualified tenants the ability to purchase the freehold and any head leases of the property. 

If you are interested in collective enfranchisement, our team will happily guide you through the process, from making the initial claim to establishing the ownership agreement. 

Lease Extensions

Collective enfranchisement can be complicated, but we will explain the process to you in plain English, discussing the overall course of action and the legal costs involved while ensuring that the matter is handled as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

Extending a lease

According to the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, qualifying tenants hold the right to a statutory lease extension, in which a newly negotiated lease is added on as an extension to the existing lease. 

The process of obtaining a lease extension can often take up to several months. Our solicitors will guide you through determining your eligibility and obtaining the valuation from a surveyor. We can also advise on registering, valuing and calculating the lease extension to ensure that you have a complete understanding of the process.

Right to manage

According to the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, leaseholders are given a statutory right to acquire their property's management rights. This is arranged through a transfer of rights to a company, set up by the leaseholders – called a right to manage (RTM) company. 
 
Leasehold and commonhold reform 

In January 2021, the government announced some of the biggest reforms to English property law for 40 years, with the aim of making home ownership fairer and more secure. Millions of leaseholders will be given a new right to extend their lease by 990 years.

Read more here: 

Millions set to benefit from leasehold property shake-up

It is not yet clear when the proposals will become law and the form the legislation will take, but our team can advise you on all updates relating to leasehold reform.

Our solicitors in Brighton, Eastbourne, London, Hastings, Uckfield and Ulverston can help you understand your lease extension options.

Need help with a
lease extension?