Cost effective

We recognise that access to lawyers can be cost-prohibitive in what can be a complex area of law. It can sometimes be a necessity to instruct lawyers, with costs quickly escalating which can add to what is sometimes already a stressful situation.

We are delighted to introduce our new service – affordable access to our experts, designed for “straightforward cases” providing a viable and proportionate solution for leaseholders. This service is run by the same experts as our main business, but with key differences to provide leaseholders with low-cost options without compromising on the quality.

Straightforward cases

Our “cost effective” service is designed for leaseholders with low value or simple cases. There is no legal definition of what a “low value” or “straightforward” case is so we have set our definition based on experience in the market and on the industry.

On the assumption that the lease structure is straightforward, access to our “cost effective” experts service* includes:

Commonhold conversion: fewer than 10 units or starting enfranchisement price is less than £50,000
Lease extensions: starting premium is less than £5,000
Ground rent-only conversions: no limit
Right to manage: fewer than 10 units
Collective freehold acquisition: fewer than 10 units or starting purchase price is less than £50,000
Right of first refusal: fewer than 10 units or starting purchase price is less than £50,000
Freehold acquisition of a house: starting purchase price is less than £5,000 and no estate charges
Service charge disputes, including major works: amount disputed is less than £10,000
Administration charges: amount disputed is less than £5,000

* NOTE: we reserve the right to change the parameters of low value or straightforward cases at any time

In all other cases, our expert team is available to assist, offering competitive quotations in the usual way.

Options

We offer two packages as part of this service:

Option 1 Self-help toolkit

Launching in Spring/Summer 2024 and led by Mari Knowles, our self-help toolkits will be available to purchase for a one-off fee. Each toolkit will contain vital information needed for leaseholders to proceed with their case without the need for a lawyer, including, where needed, templates. As well as toolkits to guide you through specific processes, general information toolkits will also be available.

The toolkit can be upgraded to include a one hour meeting with one of our lawyers to discuss your case. There will be a range of toolkits available, including:

Specific cases

Commonhold disputes
Service charge disputes
Major works disputes
Building safety disputes
Challenging administration charges
Low value lease extension applications
Straightforward right to manage applications

General Guidance

How to acquire commonhold
Managing a commonhold building
Managing a leasehold building
Service charge basics
Understanding your lease
First-tier Tribunal / Leasehold Valuation Tribunal basics
Legal costs and administration charges basics

Please email advice@commonlease.co.uk if you would like more information on the toolkits once they have been launched.

Option 2 Lawyer-guided

The second package, led by Matthew Hollamby and Matthew Lewis, offers junior lawyer assistance for your case. A junior lawyer, fully supervised, will take you through the process in the same way as we would in any other case. The key difference is pricing – we offer a discounted rate for low value cases to make it more affordable for leaseholders. Our cost-effective service, and taking into account the “straightforward” criteria above, currently includes:

Lease extensions
Ground rent only conversions
Right to manage
Right of first refusal
Collective freehold acquisition
Freehold purchase of a leasehold house
Commonhold conversion

We intend to roll out this service to disputes in the future.

How it works

1 Initial contact:

Contact the “cost effective” team on advice@commonlease.co.uk with details of your case and where possible confirming your option preference (please note that the toolkits will not be available until Spring/Summer 2024).

2 Complete the questionnaire:

We will send you a short questionnaire asking you for more details about your case. Once completed, please send it back to us at advice@commonlease.co.uk

3 Assessment:

We will review your questionnaire and assess your case to check if “cost effective” experts is right for you. We may ask you some additional questions or for some documents whilst we do the assessment.

4 Confirmation:

We will let you know the outcome of our assessment. If “cost effective” experts is right for you, we will send you a quotation and terms of business.

5 On boarding

If you accept our terms, we will get you on boarded and start the process.

FAQs

Why are you doing this?

Leaseholders have many rights, but enforcing those rights can be difficult due to the complexities of the law. Our “experts” recognise that there are many cases which are straightforward and whilst uncomplicated, do need some level of legal input. The costs can however be prohibitive which stops leaseholders from seeking advice. In turn, this can negatively impact the outcome. Legal aid is not available in our sector, so offering a cost-effective solution is vital for leaseholders.

How is this different from your regular services?

Our “cost effective” experts offers the same service, support and experience as our “experts” but at a discounted cost to reflect the value of the claim: proportionality is key. Our core business which services complex and/or higher value claims will continue to run as normal.

Who are the “cost effective” experts?

Mari Knowles runs the toolkit options with Matthew Hollamby and Matthew Lewis running the lawyer-guided option. All three have years of experience as award-winning lawyers in the commonhold, landlord and tenant. The team leaders supervise junior lawyers, paralegals and trainees, who undertake the work. The quality and level of service you receive from our “cost effective” experts is no different to that received through our core business.

What if I do not qualify for your “cost effective” experts services?

Our team will still be on hand to assist you. We will explain why you do not qualify if this happens, and set out your options at that point.

What about your pro bono services?

We will continue to offer our pro bono service in the usual way. Our “cost effective” experts service offers a financially fair alternative in cases where we are unable to offer pro bono.