Leasehold Enfranchisement and Freehold Purchase

If you are a homeowner tenant with a leasehold residential property, then our leasehold enfranchisement solicitors can help you with the freehold purchase or the lease extension of your home or building as long as you meet certain qualifying criteria.

Buying the freehold of your home or building or securing a lease extension is important if you have less than 80 years left on your lease; otherwise, obtaining a mortgage or selling your home can be difficult. Also, the premium payable for a lease extension can increase significantly if you have less than 80 years left on your lease. Taking steps to get a lease extension or buy the freehold ensures your home investment is protected for the future.

Myerson's Property Litigation Team has extensive expertise in guiding homeowners through the enfranchisement processes of buying a freehold and securing lease extensions. Our enfranchisement lawyers can advise you on the following:

• Purchasing the freehold of a house
• Extending the lease of your house or apartment
• Collective enfranchisement (where multiple or groups of tenants of flats want to buy the freehold of a building or block of flats)
• A tenant's right of first refusal when the freehold of a building or block of flats is being sold
• Rights to manage buildings and blocks of flats (where tenants take on the management of a building or block of flats without buying the freehold)

The legal process normally starts with the service of a section 42 notice (or tenant's initial claim notice) or section 5 notice (notice to purchase freehold) on the freeholder landlord. We review the landlords’ notice in reply or section 45 notice response and then guide you through the process to secure the transfer of the freehold or the grant of a lease extension to you.

Our Leasehold Enfranchisement lawyers make what can be a difficult and stressful process seamless for homeowners. Our expert enfranchisement lawyers deal with every aspect of the freehold purchase process in a can-do and efficient manner by our Promise. We will provide you with a no-obligation quote at the outset detailing all our legal costs for securing your freehold purchase or leasehold extension.  

We also act for groups of homeowner tenants in connection with collective enfranchisement procedures.