Lease Extensions
ACTING FOR LEASEHOLDERS
Our fees are £180 per hour plus disbursements. Routine incoming letters and emails are charged at £9 each. Attendances, telephone calls and outgoing letters and emails and are charged at £18 each. VAT is also payable where applicable.
If we are only dealing with a lease extension and the price to extend the lease has been agreed and this can be agreed within 3 months, we normally charge £595 plus VAT (£714) if there is no mortgage or deed of substituted security or £695 plus VAT (£834) if there is a mortgage or deed of substituted security. If it takes more than 3 months we normally charge £695 plus VAT (£834) if there is no mortgage or deed of substituted security or £795 plus VAT (£954) if if there is a mortgage or deed of substituted security. The only disbursement is the Land Registry fee which is normally £45.
If you want us to check the lease to advise whether or not we should try to agree amendments we will normally charge an additional £495 plus VAT (£594).
If you instruct us to serve a section 42 notice (a notice setting out your right to extend your lease and the price you consider to be reasonable), we try to limit our costs to £1,095 plus VAT (£1,314) plus disbursements.
If we have to deal with the application to the tribunal we try to limit our fees to £1,700 plus VAT (£2,040) plus disbursements. This will not include fees of the person attending the tribunal to represent you in the unlikely event that there will be a hearing. A barrister or your surveyor will usually represent you at the hearing.
We will require £300 on account of our fees before we enter into correspondence and draft a section 42 notice if appropriate. If a section 42 notice has been served, you will also have to pay 10% of the amount on the notice, subject to a minimum of £250 which is deducted from the price payable for the lease extension. You will lose this and have to pay the landlord's costs if you do not proceed.
If you instruct us to try to negotiate any amendments to the lease apart from the length of the lease and the ground rent, our fees will be charged at our hourly rate and our estimated fees will increase.
ACTING FOR FREEHOLDERS
Most of our fees are usually paid by the leaseholder but we will advise you of the position as the matter proceeds. Our fees will depend on the value, complexity and urgency of the matter. They are usually £180-£220 per hour plus disbursements. Routine incoming letters and emails are charged at £9-£11 each. Attendances, telephone calls and outgoing letters and emails and are charged at £18-£22 each. VAT is also payable where applicable.