For the average UK property, lease extensions cost around £11,000. This includes the main cost of the lease extension premium, the surveyor and solicitor fees, and any charges from the freeholder. The exact amount depends on your property’s value, how much time is left on your lease, and the ground rent you pay.
A lease extension is a legal agreement between a freeholder and a leaseholder that extends the lease term. Leases can be extended up to 999 years. It can increase the property value and make selling easier, but the process can be expensive.
The most important thing to understand is that timing is everything. Wait too long, and you could end up paying thousands more than necessary.
If you have a flat valued at £292,000, with 99 years left on the lease, and £366 of annual ground rent, you can expect to pay around £8,219 for the lease extension premium.
You'll also need to cover professional fees for both you and the freeholder, which typically adds another £3,000 to the total, bringing the overall cost to approximately £11,400.
Using the above example, here is a breakdown of the costs you’ll have to pay for your lease extension:
| Service | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Leasehold Extension Premium | £8,219 |
| Your Valuation Surveyor Fees | £367 |
| Your Solicitor Fees | £1,145 |
| The Freeholder’s Valuation Surveyor Fees | £367 |
| The Freeholder’s Solicitor Fees | £1,145 |
| Total | £11,243 |
Lease extensions are made up of three main fees: the lease extension premium, surveyor fees, and legal fees.
Here’s a breakdown:
The highest cost involved is the lease extension premium, with the price depending on the following factors:
You’ll need to hire a valuation surveyor with experience in leasehold properties to determine how much the property is worth. This valuation is crucial as it contributes to the premium cost and can be used in negotiations.
Valuation costs are £452 on average, and you will be responsible for paying your surveyor and the freeholder’s surveyor, bringing the total average surveyor cost to £904.
You must hire a solicitor with lease extension experience, as they will handle the legal aspects, including serving notices and ensuring the new lease is registered correctly. You're also responsible for paying for the freeholder's solicitor.
Fees vary, but it costs an average of £2,700 in total.
A lease extension is a legal agreement between a freeholder and a leaseholder that extends the lease term. It can increase the property value and make selling easier, but the process can be expensive.
The most important thing to understand is that timing is everything. Wait too long, and you could end up paying thousands more than necessary. If a property's lease runs down to zero years, ownership reverts to the freeholder, and the leaseholder loses the right to live in or sell the property. Learn more with our guide on what happens when a leasehold expires.
Once the lease drops below 80 years, your property's value decreases significantly. With leasehold properties, you’ll own the interior space while the freeholder owns the building and land, so extending the lease will maintain its value.
If you don’t extend the lease, it can result in limited mortgage offers, and buyers may get nervous as they’ll have to foot the bill.
You should extend your lease before it falls below 80 years, as the extension cost rapidly increases. Potential buyers will be put off by a short lease, so it’s highly recommended to have the lease extended before putting the property on the market.
However, if your lease is already below 70 years, it's worth waiting until 2026, as marriage value is expected to be abolished under proposed leasehold reforms.
The lease extension process takes 3 to 12 months on average, depending on the complexity of your case and how quickly you and the freeholder can agree on a price. The new lease must also be registered with the Land Registry.
You can ask your mortgage lender if they have a copy of your lease or go to the freeholder directly.
If you are unable to obtain your lease this way, you can pay the Land Registry for a copy.
Before proceeding with your lease extension application, you must have a RICS Valuation carried out. We can connect you with up to 5 RICS valuers in your local area. Fill out our valuation survey comparison form to compare quotes and save up to 70% on your valuation fees.
Our valuers have passed a strict verification process, which includes being regulated by RICS. This means all jobs adhere to the highest industry standard.
This calculator is for initial consideration purposes only and it cannot give you a definitive figure, merely an indicative value range.
The calculator will give you a general estimate of the premium for a lease extension for a flat. It is based on data available on a national level and does not take into account local factors that may impact the premium. It cannot do calculations for leases with less than 50 years remaining (40 years for flats in Central London).
In considering the likely total cost, you should also bear in mind the leaseholder's liability for the landlord's costs. The eventual cost of the new lease will be the premium plus both your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional costs. Stamp Duty is also applicable above £125,000. These costs could be significant, so be sure to get estimates from the professionals involved before you decide to proceed.
The estimate is likely to be helpful where there is no evidence of comparable transactions. Whether another transaction is comparable for these purposes is always determined on a case-by-case basis.
The estimate produced by the calculator should not be treated as a formal or professional valuation and is not a substitute for obtaining such a professional valuation. You should not take any action in reliance on the estimate without seeking formal advice from a surveyor, property lawyer or other qualified professional first.
You should not use the estimate in tribunal or court proceedings and neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking professional advice.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for any loss, injury, claim, liability or damage of any kind resulting from, arising out of or in any way related to reliance on the estimate produced by this calculator.
Although we offer an advice guide, Lease extension - Valuation about valuations under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 (as amended), you should remember that the law and the way property is valued can change over time and that local evidence can vary.
The current priority, when assessing the short lease value, is evidence of similar flats usually in the same block or estate. Where reliable comparable sales of similar short leases can be found, that will be a better indicator and this requires extensive local knowledge beyond the scope of this national calculator. Where there is no clear evidence of short lease sale transactions, a graph approach is likely to be adopted.
The following areas are considered as Prime Central London (PCL): Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Mayfair, Chelsea, Kensington/Holland Park, South Kensington, Regent's Park, Notting Hill, St John's Wood and Marylebone. Views on what constitutes PCL are subjective, but we have identified these areas as those most commonly considered to constitute PCL.
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