Leasehold

What is leasehold?

A large proportion of properties in England and Wales are owned on a leasehold basis. A landlord owns the building which is divided into units. These units are then rented out to individuals (leaseholders or tenants) for long periods of time. The agreement between the landlord and the leaseholder is known as a lease. The lease sets out the terms of occupation and sets out rights and obligations which both parties must comply with. It gives the leaseholder a right to occupy a unit for a set number of years, which decreases every year. It is also possible to have leasehold houses where a landlord owns a large estate and rents out houses.

How does leasehold work?

Each flat will be owned on a leasehold basis, granting a right to use the flat. It will also grant rights to use any communal areas. Traditionally, the landlord will retain control and management of the whole building and the leaseholder will contribute regularly towards the upkeep by way of a service charge.

How can we help?

Our team is actively involved with the leasehold government reforms and we have years of experience dealing with the existing system. Our litigation team recently won the coveted "Legal Services Provider of the Year" award at the Property Management Awards and our enfranchisement team won the "Highly Commended Solicitors of the Year" award at the Enfranchisement and Right to Manage Awards.

We advise on any leasehold matter, including:

Transactional

Lease extensions
Freehold purchase (flats and houses)
Freehold sale
Right to manage
Problem transactions
Complex transactions
Estate management acquisitions
Missing landlord claims
Conveyancing

Litigation

Leasehold house issues
Ground rent issues
Service charge disputes
Lease interpretation
Lease disputes
Dilapidations disputes
Appointment of manager
Rent arrears repossession (assured shorthold tenancy)
Squatters claims
Mediation

What are our costs?

We are fully transparent with all of our costs and disbursements. We will confirm these with you together with the process and timeframes in advance of incurring any costs. We provide details of sample costs on the "our charges" page for debt collection, conveyancing and for wills and probate. Please contact us for further information on costs.

Leasehold reforms

The leasehold system is in the process of being comprehensively reformed both in relation to transactional rights and litigation rights. Our experts have assisted directly with the reforms. Please see our Articles page for the latest on these reforms and our Reforms page for an overview of the law making process.