Lease extension: getting started

There are 2 main ways to extend your lease:

• negotiate directly with your landlord (the informal route)
• use your legal right (the formal route)

You can use the lease length checker tool to find out how many years are left on your lease. You can also use the lease extension calculator to get an estimate of how much a lease extension might cost.

Extending your lease adds years to the lease and can:

• increase the value of your flat – buyers usually prefer long leases
• make it easier to sell or remortgage – lenders usually prefer long leases
• help you negotiate new lease terms
• avoid paying marriage value once your lease drops below 80 years
• prevent your lease from becoming too short to sell or remortgage easily

Informal route (negotiate directly with your landlord)

You can ask your landlord if they are willing to extend your lease without using the formal process. This is sometimes faster and may involve lower legal costs. However, your landlord does not have to agree, and the informal route does not offer the same protections as a statutory (formal) lease extension.

If you use this route, make sure you understand:

• the length of the extension
• how much the ground rent will be
• if any other terms in your lease are changing

Read more on the informal route.

If you cannot agree, and you qualify under the Act, you can switch to the formal route.

Formal route (statutory process under the 1993 Act)

To qualify for formal extension, you must hold a long lease (21 years or more when it was first granted) on a flat, and that lease must not be excluded by the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.

The formal process gives you the right to extend your lease by adding 90 years and reduce the ground rent to zero (known as a “peppercorn rent”).

The formal process to extend a lease starts when you serve a tenant’s notice (known as a Section 42 notice) on your landlord and ends with the grant of a new lease.

This process sets out legal time limits for:

• serve a tenant’s notice (Section 42) on your landlord
• the landlord responds with a counter-notice (Section 45)
• negotiate on the premium and lease terms
• if you cannot agree, apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) in England, or the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal in Wales

The formal route gives you stronger rights and clearer deadlines, but it can take longer and involve additional costs.

Read our guide on the formal route.

The price you pay to extend your lease is called the premium.

Use our lease extension calculator tool to get an estimate. For a precise figure, you should get a professional valuation. Please note, we do not provide written or telephone advice on valuation.

For an overview, read our guide on valuation and costs.

You will also need to pay your own legal and valuation costs and your landlord's reasonable costs.

In some cases, the usual process does not apply, for example:

• if you are selling or buying and want to extend at the same time
• if you have inherited a flat with a short lease
• if your landlord is missing or not responding
• if you own a share of the freehold

These cases follow different procedures.

Read guidance for extending your lease if your situation is more complex.

Extending a lease is a legal process and you usually need both a solicitor and a valuer (surveyors often call themselves valuation surveyors). You should choose professionals with experience in lease extensions.

Please note, we can explain the process and help you understand your options, but we cannot act for you or provide valuation figures.

Find out more about using a solicitor.