Extend Your Lease

FAQS

Do I qualify for a lease extension of my flat?

In majority of cases, if your lease was more than 21 years when originally granted and you have been the registered owner of the flat for 2 years then you probably do qualify.
It should be noted that if your freehold is owned by the Crown Estate, National Trust or part of a building within a cathedral precinct your flat might be excluded from the right to extend your lease.

Will I continue to pay ground rent after a lease extension?

If you obtain a lease extension under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you will only pay a "peppercorn rent" which will mean no ground rent at all

Do I qualify to buy the freehold of my house?

The Leasehold Reform Act 1967 gives leasehold tenants of houses the right to buy the freehold.
You need to have been the registered owner of the house for two years.
The right to enfranchise is dependent upon a number of qualifications for the house, the lease and the leaseholder;

  • The house must be divided vertically from any adjoining house. It does not matter if it has been divided into flats so long as you have the lease of the entire house.
  • The lease must originally for a term of more than 21 years or with a right of renewal.
  • The leaseholder must be the leaseholder of the house at the time of application and have held the lease for the past two years. In addition, where a leaseholder who is eligible for the right to the freehold dies, his personal representatives will be so eligible and may serve a notice for purchase within a period of two years from the grant of probate or letters of administration.
  • These qualifications are used to determine the leaseholder's eligibility for the right to buy the freehold and also which method of valuation will be applied.

The Act provides two distinct procedures for valuation of houses under the Act, dependent upon the section of the Act under which the house qualifies. These sections are:
Section 1 - where the house falls within the original low rent test and meets certain value limits
Section 1A - where the house exceeds the value limits
Section 1AA - where the lease of the house had previously been extended under 1967 Act provisions
Section 1B - where the lease was granted after 18 April 1980 and is not for a set term but terminable on death or marriage.
The appropriate method of valuation is then decided from the basis of the above qualifications and in accordance with the following:
Section 9 (1) - where the house qualifies under Section 1 it will be valued according to the original valuation basis
Section 9 (1A), 9(1AA), 9(1C) - where the house qualifies under Section 1A, 1AA or 1B it will be valued according to the special valuation basis
The valuation method by which the house is to be valued is not a matter of the freeholder or the leaseholder; it is determined by the qualifying criteria.
EXTEND YOUR LEASE will advise or liase with your solicitor to determine which section of the Act the house falls within.

Can I join in with other leaseholders and buy the freehold of my block of flats?

The first point to consider is whether the building qualifies?

  • There must be at lease two flats in the building
  • At least two thirds of the flats must be leaseholders
  • No more than 25% of the internal floor area to be in non-residential use.

Some properties may be excluded from the rights of Collective Enfranchisement:

  • Buildings within a cathedral precinct;
  • National Trust properties;
  • Crown Estate properties

There is a substantial amount of work to be completed before you start the process and we at EXTEND YOUR LEASE will assist you with every step…….
Our Services:

  • Initial inspection
  • Checking all leasehold documentation
  • Calculating the likely premium payable