Checklists

Checklist provided by 

www.alep.org.uk

The  Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners

Additional checklist:

How to choose a leasehold legal expert

Important information to gather about your residential leasehold property or a property you are thinking of purchasing before contacting an expert valuer

• Address of the property

• Lease length. Please note that it costs more to extend your lease or buy your freehold once the lease falls below 80 years, as marriage value becomes payable to your freeholder. For just £3 you can download the leasehold title from the Land Registry website, which will show you the exact lease length without having to take anyone else’s word for it.

• Ground rent payable

• Approximate value

Freeholder’s details: What is the freeholder like?

Many flat owners discover too late that they have bought a property where the freeholder is managing the property badly and levying excessive service charges and offering overpriced lease extensions. The best way to get to the bottom of this is to ring on the doorbells of neighbouring flats, but make sure that you are speaking to the owner and not just a tenant! If it turns out the freeholder is a monster, check that you can buy them out. If not, walk away!

• How is the building managed? Are the communal areas well maintained, garages painted, etc.?

Questions to ask when choosing an expert valuer to determine how much you should pay for a lease extension/share of freehold purchase transaction