If your lease is creeping towards 80 years, you’ll already know it’s not something to put off. A short lease can knock thousands off your flat’s value, put mortgage lenders off, and make a sale harder than it needs to be. Our lease extension solicitors handle the whole process for you, from serving the Section 42 notice through to registering your new lease at the Land Registry.
A lease extension is the legal process of adding years back onto a leasehold property. Most qualifying leaseholders have the statutory right to add 90 years to their lease, with ground rent reduced to a peppercorn, effectively zero. You can now serve notice as soon as you complete on your purchase, as the old two-year ownership rule was scrapped in January 2025.
There’s also an informal route, where you negotiate directly with your freeholder outside the statutory process. It can be quicker, but it depends on their goodwill rather than a legal right.
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 will eventually bring a longer 990-year extension and remove marriage value from the premium for leases under 80 years, but these changes aren’t in force yet. Any extension today goes ahead under the existing rules.
Lease extension legal services we offer
Statutory lease extensions
A statutory lease extension uses your legal right under the 1993 Act to add 90 years to your lease and reduce ground rent to a peppercorn. We handle the whole process: serving the Section 42 notice, liaising with your freeholder’s solicitor, and negotiating the premium on your behalf. Clients in Manchester, Sale and Chester come to us at this stage most often when a lender or buyer has flagged a short lease.
Informal lease extensions
An informal extension is agreed directly with your freeholder outside the statutory process, without the strict notices and deadlines. It can be faster and sometimes cheaper if your freeholder is cooperative, but the terms aren’t fixed by law, so it’s worth having us check the numbers stack up before you commit.
Lease extension valuations and negotiation
Getting the premium right depends on an accurate valuation, so we work alongside RICS-qualified surveyors throughout. We review the valuation figures, challenge anything that looks off, and negotiate directly with the freeholder’s representatives to keep your costs proportionate.
Extending your lease before you sell
If your lease is under 80 years and you’re planning to sell, extending first, or assigning the benefit of an existing Section 42 notice to your buyer, can protect your sale price and widen your pool of buyers. We’ll talk you through which route suits your timescale.
How the lease extension process works
Valuation and eligibility check
We confirm you qualify for a statutory extension and arrange a RICS valuer to calculate a fair premium. Getting this figure right from the outset avoids delays further down the line, as freeholders frequently challenge premiums that look under-valued.
Serving the Section 42 notice
We draft and serve the formal notice on your freeholder, setting out your proposed premium and a deadline for their response. An invalid notice can set your claim back by up to 12 months, so accuracy here matters more than speed.
Freeholder’s counter-notice
Your freeholder must respond with a Section 45 counter-notice, either accepting your terms or proposing a counter-offer. We review this closely and advise you on next steps.
Negotiation
We negotiate the premium and terms directly with the freeholder’s solicitor and surveyor. Most cases settle at this stage without needing a tribunal.
Tribunal application, if needed
If terms can’t be agreed, either side can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a binding decision. We prepare and manage this on your behalf, though most of our clients never need to reach this stage.
Completion and registration
Once terms are agreed, we finalise the new lease and register it at the Land Registry, giving you the security of your extended term.
Most straightforward cases complete within 6–12 months from start to finish.
Why choose Slater Heelis for your lease extension legal services
Straight-talking advice on a process that’s easy to get wrong
Lease extensions are unforgiving of small mistakes, an incorrectly drafted Section 42 notice can set your claim back by up to a year. We’ve seen how much stress this causes clients who’ve served notice themselves or used an unspecialised firm, so we handle the detail properly the first time and give you a realistic timeline from day one, not an optimistic one.
Rooted in the North West, trusted nationally
With offices in Manchester, Sale, and Chester, we’re well placed to act for landlords buying property across the region, and our clients regularly instruct us for portfolios that extend well beyond the North West. We’re CQS accredited and recognised in The Times Best Law Firms 2026, and rated 4.9/5 on ReviewSolicitors from over 1,900 reviews.
CQS accredited property team
Our conveyancing and property team holds Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation, the Law Society’s recognised standard for residential property work. On a transaction with strict statutory deadlines and notice requirements, that’s a meaningful marker of process and compliance rather than a badge for its own sake.
Our lease extension solicitors are here to guide you through every stage of the process, from serving your Section 42 notice to completion.
Our offices in Manchester, Sale, and Chester are open for face-to-face meetings, and we regularly work with clients across the UK, with meetings at other locations available by appointment.
You don’t legally need a solicitor to extend your lease, but the statutory process is unforgiving of small errors. An incorrectly drafted Section 42 notice can be ruled invalid, setting your claim back by up to 12 months and costing you time and money. Most leaseholders instruct a solicitor for this reason.
How do I extend my lease?
You extend your lease either through the statutory process, by serving a Section 42 notice on your freeholder, or informally, by negotiating directly with them. The statutory route gives you a legal right to 90 years plus your remaining term with a peppercorn ground rent, while the informal route depends on your freeholder’s agreement.
What are the costs involved in extending a lease?
Extending a lease involves three separate costs: the premium paid to your freeholder for the extra years, your surveyor’s valuation fee, and your solicitor’s legal fees for serving notice, negotiating, and completing the transaction. We agree our legal fees with you upfront before any work begins.
Do I have to pay my freeholder's costs?
Under current law, you’re generally responsible for your freeholder’s reasonable legal and valuation costs as well as your own. Reforms proposed under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 would remove this requirement, but that change isn’t in force yet.
How long does a lease extension process usually take?
A straightforward statutory lease extension typically takes 6 to 12 months from serving the Section 42 notice to registration at the Land Registry. Cases that go to tribunal because terms can’t be agreed take longer, though most of our clients settle before reaching that stage.
Should I extend my lease before it drops below 80 years?
Extending your lease before it falls below 80 years avoids paying marriage value, an additional sum added to the premium once your unexpired term drops under that threshold. Acting early, ideally when your lease has 85 years or more remaining, keeps your costs lower.
What's the difference between a statutory and informal lease extension?
A statutory lease extension is a legal right under the 1993 Act, giving you 90 years added to your term and a fixed process your freeholder can’t refuse. An informal lease extension is a private negotiation with your freeholder, which can be quicker but isn’t bound by the same statutory terms or timescales.
Can a lease extension increase the value of my property?
Yes, extending your lease can increase your property’s value, since short leases are typically valued lower by buyers and mortgage lenders. Flats with fewer than 80 years remaining are the hardest to sell or mortgage, so extending before you reach that point protects your property’s marketability as much as its price.
What happens if my freeholder doesn't respond to my notice?
If your freeholder doesn’t serve a counter-notice within two months of receiving your Section 42 notice, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal to have the lease extension granted on the terms you proposed. This protects you from a freeholder simply ignoring your claim.
Can I extend my lease while I'm selling my flat?
Yes, you can either complete the lease extension before selling or assign the benefit of an existing Section 42 notice to your buyer, allowing them to complete the extension after purchase. Assigning the notice can widen your pool of buyers if your lease is short, since mortgage lenders are often reluctant to lend against very short terms.
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