Leasehold Advisory Law
Leasehold Advisory Law: Your Trusted Guide Through Leasehold Rights and Reform
Why leasehold law matters – and why expert advice is essential
For many homeowners in England and Wales, owning a leasehold property means engaging with complex and sometimes opaque legal rights, responsibilities, and costs. Leaseholders frequently face challenges over:
- escalating service charges or insurance costs
- disputes over major works or building repairs
- pressures around lease expiry or difficulties refinancing
- opaque management arrangements, or unaccountable managing agents
- exercising rights such as lease extension, buying the freehold, or taking over management
- navigating new reforms introduced by the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, and allied changes
These disputes can become expensive, protracted, and stressful. Having specialist legal guidance is essential: a lawyer who can explain your rights, strategise with you, negotiate robustly, and pursue a fair outcome.
At Jonathan Lea Network, we specialise in Leasehold Advisory Law—ensuring that leaseholders are properly informed, empowered, and represented. We combine legal expertise with accessible advice, and we work with you as a team to deliver value for money and clarity, not legal jargon, at every step.
What is Leasehold Advisory Law?
Leasehold Advisory Law is a field of property law focusing on the rights and obligations of leaseholders and freeholders. It encompasses a broad range of issues including:
- Interpretation and enforcement of lease covenants, what you are permitted or required to do (or not do) under your lease.
- Service charge law and transparency, how service charges are calculated, challenged, or reduced.Recent reforms introduce standardised service charge bills and easier access to supporting evidence. If you feel a charge is unreasonable or poorly explained, our team can quickly request full disclosure and challenge the landlord to prove the charge’s validity
- Major works, planned maintenance, and budget forecasting
- Lease extension, enfranchisement, and collective freehold purchase
- Right to Manage (RTM) and internal management rights
- Deed variation, especially to renegotiate ground rent or restrictive covenants
- Dispute resolution — negotiating with landlords, serving statutory notices, or going to Tribunal (First-tier Property Chamber)
- Reform and statutory changes — keeping clients up to date with legal developments and new rights
In short, if your legal problem has anything to do with a lease, its costs, its management, or related statutory rights, this is our domain.
Key Legal Changes to Be Aware Of (2024 Reform and Beyond)
Because not all LFRA 2024 provisions are in force, our advice always includes a bespoke assessment of which regime—old, new, or hybrid—applies to your lease and objectives. This ensures you act on reliable and up-to-date information, and do not surrender existing rights through assumption, delay, or timing errors
Here are a few key changes and their practical implications:
| Reform Area | What Changes | Why It Matters for You |
| Lease extension / freehold purchase | The Act aims to make it cheaper and easier to extend a lease or buy the freehold | You may pay less overall, and negotiation of price could become more favourable. |
| Service charge and accounting transparency | The Act standardises service charge billing formats, requires better disclosure and reporting, and gives tenants more rights to request information | Disputing unreasonable charges becomes easier; hidden profits and over-charging become harder to sustain. |
| Limiting landlord costs & liability of legal costs | The landlord’s ability to recover litigation costs is more restricted; leaseholders gain rights to claim costs in certain cases. | If you challenge a landlord’s fees or breaches, your risk of being hit with huge costs is lowered. |
| Ground rent and new leases | New leases must have nominal (peppercorn) ground rent; excessive ground rent models are curtailed. | For new property purchases, ground rent escalation is off the table; for existing leases, opportunities may arise to renegotiate under deed variation. |
| Regulation of landlords, managing agents, and redress | Landlords must subject themselves to redress schemes; managing agents already do, but new accountability is required. | You have a statutory avenue to challenge poor practice and demand compliance. |
| Phased implementation and consultation | Some parts of LFRA 2024 are not yet in force, pending secondary legislation and consultation. | You should not rely on all reforms being operative yet—legal advice must account for which parts are live. |
Because of the transitional nature of the reforms, a key part of our service is helping you understand which rights apply to your particular lease, and when and how to act strategically (especially where delaying or accelerating a claim may be beneficial).
Core Areas of Service in Leasehold Advisory at Jonathan Lea Network
Below is a snapshot of the principal service areas we provide under our leasehold advisory umbrella. Each area can be expanded into a full dedicated page:
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- Reviewing service charge bills to check they are lawful, properly apportioned, and justifiable
- Advising on the landlord’s obligation to provide annual accounts, audited statements, and information under LFRA 2024
- Challenging hidden or inflated charges via negotiation or First-tier Tribunal
- Advising on reserve funds, sinking funds, and the new requirements for budgeting and consultation
- Reviewing service charge bills to check they are lawful, properly apportioned, and justifiable
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- Advising whether the landlord or managing agent is acting within contractual rights
- Negotiating with landlords over lease ambiguities, repair obligations, alterations or subletting
- Serving or opposing Notice of Breach or Forfeiture, and advising on reinstatement
- Advising whether the landlord or managing agent is acting within contractual rights
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- Explaining your rights to extend your lease or collectively purchase the freehold
- Estimating your premium (price) under statutory formulas, factoring in LFRA 2024 changes
- Preparing and serving the necessary notices under the Leasehold Reform Acts
- Negotiating with the landlord(s) or raising Tribunal claims if terms are unreasonable
- Explaining your rights to extend your lease or collectively purchase the freehold
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- Advising on eligibility and procedures to establish a Right to Manage company
- Assisting in serving the relevant notices, ensuring compliance with election processes
- Addressing objections, refusals, or landlord challenges
- Advising on the practical operation of RTM once control is obtained
- Advising on eligibility and procedures to establish a Right to Manage company
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- Explaining your right of first refusal when a freeholder wishes to sell
- Managing statutory requirements and formal notices
- Advising on valuation and negotiating to protect leaseholder interests
- Explaining your right of first refusal when a freeholder wishes to sell
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- Negotiating changes to your lease by deed: reducing ground rent, modifying estate rules, altering restrictive covenants
- Advising on the cost and process, and preparing the legal documentation
- Representing you in discussion or negotiation with the landlord
- These negotiations can result in reduced or zero ground rent, as well as more flexible lease terms that reflect modern living standards. We ensure all variations are correctly drafted and registered—giving you certainty for the future.
- Negotiating changes to your lease by deed: reducing ground rent, modifying estate rules, altering restrictive covenants
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- Advising on statutory rights, remediation costs, and landlord obligations under the Building Safety Act and related reforms. All advice here incorporates new duties under the Building Safety Act 2022 and ongoing government updates. Leaseholder protections and financial liabilities are changing, and we keep you ahead of sector standards.
- Challenging unlawful cost demands or seeking contribution from third parties
- Helping assemble expert reports, witness evidence, and legal strategy
- Advising on statutory rights, remediation costs, and landlord obligations under the Building Safety Act and related reforms. All advice here incorporates new duties under the Building Safety Act 2022 and ongoing government updates. Leaseholder protections and financial liabilities are changing, and we keep you ahead of sector standards.
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- Advising early-stage negotiation and correspondence to avoid escalation
- Drafting statutory notices and preparing applications to the First-tier Property Chamber (Tribunal)
- Representing you at hearings or appeals
- Advising on costs, risk, timing, and settlement strategy
In every case, our approach is client-focused: we explain in clear terms what your options are, likely costs and timelines, and we guide you every step of the way—whether that means negotiation or Tribunal.
How We Work — Our Approach & Unique Advantage
Our ethos is clear: responsive communication, transparent pricing, and strategic legal planning. You will never be left uncertain at any stage—we treat every client as a genuine partner, not just a case reference
1. Clarity, early assessment & strategic planning
From the first meeting, we prioritise understanding your objectives, your lease’s unique terms, and where your biggest legal risks and opportunities lie. We will:
- map your lease’s rights and obligations in plain English
- identify which statutory reforms (old and new) apply
- provide you with a clear estimate of risk, cost, and likely timeline
- co-develop a strategy (whether to negotiate, issue notices, or proceed to Tribunal)
We don’t believe in overcomplicated legal jargon; we believe in clarity, transparency, and you being fully informed at every turn.
2. Team-based, cost-sensitive representation
Jonathan Lea Network combines lawyers with deep experience in property and leasehold law, supported by researchers and paralegals who ensure cost-efficiency. You benefit from:
- specialist legal oversight (senior lawyer reviews)
- delegated tasks where appropriate to reduce your billable hours
- regular cost updates and transparency on fees
- alternative fee arrangements in some circumstances
We aim to deliver value—not just legal advice, but solutions that make financial sense.
3. Proactive and responsive client communication
You won’t be left wondering what’s happening. We commit to:
- regular progress updates
- plain-English memos summarising your rights and options
- responsive replies to your queries
- aligning our work to your priorities and constraints
We see ourselves as your legal partner, not an external adviser.
4. Staying ahead of reform and innovation
Leasehold law is shifting rapidly. We maintain:
- up-to-date monitoring of legislation, secondary regulations, and case law
- proactive alerts to you if changes affect your case
- a willingness to act early, where advantage may be gained under pending reform
- engagement with industry consultation and regulatory developments
Our clients don’t just get legal defence — they may get proactive advantage.
Typical Client Concerns (and How We Address Them)
| Client Concern | Our Approach & Assurance |
| “I can’t afford huge legal bills if I take this to Tribunal.” | We assess the cost-benefit before proceeding, offer staged or capped fee arrangements where feasible, and aim to resolve matters via negotiation where possible. |
| “The landlord or agent will simply ignore me or retaliate.” | We take formal and enforceable steps: issuing legal notices, using statutory rights, and escalating to Tribunal if needed. We won’t allow stonewalling to intimidate you. |
| “I don’t understand all the legalese in my lease.” | We translate the jargon, explain in plain language your rights and obligations, and show you what matters in practice. |
| “I’ve heard the new reform will make everything easier — can I wait?” | Possibly. But timing is critical. Some rights under LFRA 2024 may not yet be in force; delaying may reduce your negotiating leverage. We will advise strategically whether to act now or wait. |
| “I worry I’ll lose, and be liable for landlord’s costs.” | We assess your risk, advise on cost insurance where available, and in many cases limit exposure thanks to new reforms that restrict landlord cost recovery. |
| “This is all too technical—will I get lost in the process?” | No. We guide you step by step, explain every move, ask for your consents, and keep you fully in control. Our role is your legal advocate, not obfuscator. |
Start with Confidence
With continuous change in leasehold law, early expert guidance safeguards your rights and maximises your position. Contact Jonathan Lea Network for a free initial review—your path to clarity and legal security starts here
Contact Jonathan Lea Network today for a free initial consultation.
If you have any questions or would like further advice on the above, then please call us on 01444 708 640 or email us at wewillhelp@jonathanlea.net
Frequently Asked Questions
After LFRA 2024, for many qualifying lease extension claims, the concept of “marriage value” (an uplift in value shared between leaseholder and landlord when a leaseholder extends a short lease) is being removed. However this depends on whether the new law and regulations apply to your lease. We will check if your case still uses the older formulas or the new regime. Only if your lease grants them that power, and provided the agent is acting within the scope of proper duty. Under the new reforms, there is more accountability for managing agents, and leaseholders have more power to demand improved transparency, change agents, or assert a Right to Manage if conditions permit. No. As long as statutory conditions are met, leaseholders have the priority to purchase the freehold. Your legal team needs to manage the process properly—issuing notices, valuing interests, ensuring service is correct, and challenging unreasonable terms if necessary. We can serve statutory notices, escalate to Tribunal, and in appropriate cases petition for orders compelling compliance. The law gives you enforceable rights, and we act firmly—non-response is not accepted. Not always — some matters may take months, others less, depending on complexity, number of parties, and case load. That’s why we always assess whether negotiation is preferable. If Tribunal is required we advise upfront on timelines, potential costs, and recent Tribunal judgements that limit cost exposure under LFRA 2024. Our staged cost agreements provide assurance at every step. Yes. Many leaseholders face legacy problems—escalating ground rents, ageing maintenance works, or mismanagement. We can review historic liabilities, negotiate adjustments, and help structure claims or relief, even many years into ownership.
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