Lease extension for flat

lozzawalker1234

I hope someone can help…
I’ve been in contact with my freeholder regarding a lease extension for the past 7 years & they are making it extremely difficult to get any type of decent response, figure or even more forward in the process.
also I’m seeing a lot of info that the lease process has changed, which I just don’t understand correctly. Can anyone explain this is a non jargon way?

eddddy

Do you own a house or a flat? The process is very different.

(And if it's a house you are generally better off buying the freehold, rather than extending the lease.)

There are 2 ways of extending a lease:

• 1) The informal route (negotiating with your freeholder)
• 2) The statutory route - serving a formal notice on your freeholder

It sounds like you have been trying 'The Informal Route' for 7 years and you aren't getting anywhere.

So you need to consider following the Statutory Route.  In almost all cases, the freeholder cannot block that.


It's hard to give any more useful info, until you clarify whether it's a house or flat.

Mark_d

https://www.gov.uk/leasehold-property/extending-changing-or-ending-a-lease

tacpot12

Good answer from eddddy, except that his missed that you had confirmed it was a flat in the title of the post. 

Follow the statutory route.

Use the calculator at: Lease extension calculator for flats - The Leasehold Advisory Service (lease-advice.org)

I did this with my flat about two years ago. 

youth_leader

Drawing on my experience, I agree with following the statutory route, I think the freeholder's solicitor has to respond within a time frame. 

I have been trying to help my aunt since 12 May, she needs her lease extended.  On 12 May I approached her seemingly very caring and friendly neighbour, who is the freeholder, to ask if she would go the informal route and she agreed.  I said I would pay her solicitor's fees. 

Without  communicating with me, seven weeks later she went to her solicitor and told my aunt she was 'waiting to hear from him'.  She also told my aunt to 'get a surveyor'.  

Unfortunately my aunt is now very distressed, she's 87 and hasn't got a clue.  I have sent her information but she cannot understand it, she also cannot understand what I am telling her. 

The main event here is very sadly, that my aunt now knows the neighbour isn't who she thought she was.  

eddddy

lozzawalker1234 said:

I’ve been in contact with my freeholder regarding a lease extension for the past 7 years & they are making it extremely difficult to get any type of decent response, figure or even more forward in the process.

Just out of interest - it the remaining lease below 80 years? (and even worse, did it drop below 80 years during that 7 year period?)


If so, the cost of a lease extension might be rising sharply each year.

So some 'nasty' freeholders might string leaseholders along for, say, 7 years (with repeated promises to "get it done soon" etc), because it makes them more money.


But the situation might improve a bit if/when marriage value is abolished.