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Lease Extension - my experience with Homehold
saveonarola
Posts: 186 Forumite
I recently extended the lease on my two-bedroom flat in London NW6. The work was done by the specialist lease extension company Homehold and their in-house solicitors Leasehold Legal Services (LLS). I thought I would give a brief account of my experience, in case it might be useful for anyone else. The short version is: they were excellent.
When I heard about Homehold, I knew I wanted them to handle my lease extension because their price was very reasonable and - crucially - fixed. (A couple of surveyors and solicitors I got quotes from charged an hourly rate for some of the work, which felt like writing a blank cheque.) Still, I had misgivings because Homehold only offer desktop valuations and a couple of surveyors I spoke to said they would always recommend a valuation based on a physical inspection. But then I found a seemingly reputable surveyor who said he only did desktop valuations unless the case went to a tribunal, and that gave me the confidence to go ahead with Homehold.
And I'm glad I did. Apart from the fixed price - which I had reason to be grateful for, because there was an unexpected problem that required the solicitors to do extra work - the customer service was excellent. Someone is assigned to your case at the start, and once the negotiation process begins that person emails you every week to update you on what is happening. The same is true when the negotiation is complete and the case moves on to the solicitors for conveyancing: someone from LLS is assigned to your case and that person emails you every week, even if nothing has happened. Also, Homehold did a very effective job of negotiating a fair premium for the lease extension, too.
I imagine there are some lease extensions where a physical inspection would be desirable or even necessary for an accurate valuation, but I'm sure Homehold could advise on that, and I'm sure their advice would be trustworthy. Homehold only accept a limited number of clients at any one time (they have a waiting list) because they want to give everyone the same high standard of service, which tells you a lot about their approach. I would recommend them wholeheartedly.
When I heard about Homehold, I knew I wanted them to handle my lease extension because their price was very reasonable and - crucially - fixed. (A couple of surveyors and solicitors I got quotes from charged an hourly rate for some of the work, which felt like writing a blank cheque.) Still, I had misgivings because Homehold only offer desktop valuations and a couple of surveyors I spoke to said they would always recommend a valuation based on a physical inspection. But then I found a seemingly reputable surveyor who said he only did desktop valuations unless the case went to a tribunal, and that gave me the confidence to go ahead with Homehold.
And I'm glad I did. Apart from the fixed price - which I had reason to be grateful for, because there was an unexpected problem that required the solicitors to do extra work - the customer service was excellent. Someone is assigned to your case at the start, and once the negotiation process begins that person emails you every week to update you on what is happening. The same is true when the negotiation is complete and the case moves on to the solicitors for conveyancing: someone from LLS is assigned to your case and that person emails you every week, even if nothing has happened. Also, Homehold did a very effective job of negotiating a fair premium for the lease extension, too.
I imagine there are some lease extensions where a physical inspection would be desirable or even necessary for an accurate valuation, but I'm sure Homehold could advise on that, and I'm sure their advice would be trustworthy. Homehold only accept a limited number of clients at any one time (they have a waiting list) because they want to give everyone the same high standard of service, which tells you a lot about their approach. I would recommend them wholeheartedly.
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