Lease extension

tiny_jackal

Hi,
I would like to purchase the lease extension for my flat, but I am having a rather uncomfortable situation with the legals that represent my landlord (and me as well, altho I am quite regretting it now...). Basically they have asked me almost immediately £600 ("inclusive of VAT") to carry on an evaluation of said flat. I have some misgivings to just send around my hard earned money on the basis of an email. I have phoned them and the a/c number they sent me is correct, however when attempting to pay, my bank has flagged the transaction as "high risk". I have cancelled the payment, obviously.
I am not sure but there is something uncomfortable about the situation; I am tempted to ask someone else to represent me, but I am not too sure how to proceed. Plus, I have no clear discrepancies to point the finger at; am I being paranoid? Is that normal to ask for money without any supporting documents?
Many thanks to anyone who will contribute to the discussion,
tj

davidmcn

By "the legals" do you mean a firm of solicitors? Do you have any doubt that they are genuinely a firm of solicitors or that they represent your landlord? If they've verified the account details on a phone number which you know is theirs, I'm not sure why you ought to be concerned.

tiny_jackal

Thank you for your kind reply! I have googled them to death and they seem genuine; I have also called them on the number listed on their website, and they have confirmed the a/c number. I have been round their offices (dingy as hell) in South London; they won't win any prize any time soon for customer service, but I haven't noticed anything strange either.
However, it had never happened to me that the bank flagged a payment of mine as suspicious, and I have made pretty large ones when I purchased the flat two years ago. So... I don't know, I just can't make my mind up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I have contacted the bank to ask why, currently awaiting response.

eddddy

Is it that your freeholder is arranging a valuation by a lease extension valuer - which they're asking you to pay for - and they want you to pay it direct to their valuer?  If so, that might be OK, if you understood the process and the risks.

It sounds like you need to understand the lease extension process a bit better before you hand over the £600.

Here are a few  things to read, but it might be worth finding your own lease extension valuer, and discussing it with them, before handing over chunks of money.
https://www.lease-advice.org/fact-sheet/lease-extension-flats/
https://www.lease-advice.org/article/lease-extension-of-leasehold-flats-the-two-routes/
https://www.lease-advice.org/advice-guide/lease-extension-getting-started/

tiny_jackal

Thank you a lot! It's true that I have no knowledge of the process, therefore this may contribute to my feeling of insecurity.

tiny_jackal

As it happens, I haven't hold my leasehold for two years -- that will be next August. Looks like I am too quick off the mark and I am not yet eligible.