Landlord & Tenant

Our lawyers are industry experts on Leasehold Reform legislation, including enfranchisement, lease extensions and Right to Manage, where we have a leading reputation.

We are founding and committee members of ALEP, (the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners); an organisation committed to promoting excellence and best practice in the industry. Mark Chick is a director of ALEP and sits on its committee.

The team deals with a variety of issues affecting leasehold properties and works closely with the dispute resolution and commercial property teams, to provide sound advice on a range of matters.

Our profile and reputation in Landlord & Tenant matters means we are a leading ‘go to’ firm. Our specialist knowledge ensures our advice adds real commercial value and is of the highest quality.

Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (‘the 2024 Act’) was passed into law on 24 May 2024.  But what does this mean?

What does the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act mean for me?

We now know what the new Act provides – and we have some changes, such as the two year ownership rule. You can read more here.

What we don’t know is the detail of how, for instance, valuation methods will be applied and we will need to see the secondary legislation to see how these will be determined.

What does this mean for leaseholders looking to start a claim for enfranchisement – or those whose claim to extend their lease or buy their freehold is already underway?

If you are a leaseholder and you want to know what the changes mean, we have prepared an FAQ and summary briefing note which you can read  on our Leasehold Reform pages here.

Please continue to visit our news pages for all updates.

Updated: February 2025

How We Can Help

There are essentially two types of legal estate in which a property can be owned – freehold and leasehold.

The law relating to leaseholds generally is an area that is sometimes prone to difficulty, as there is no such thing as a “standard” form of lease. Issues that often arise concerning residential leasehold property that we deal with regularly include:

• Acting for Tenants individually or collectively in the purchase of their freehold or extending their leases under the Leasehold Reform legislation
• Acting for Landlords in relation to notices served by tenants
• The renewal of leases on an informal basis
• Licences to alter
• Licences to assign
• Variations and amendments to existing leases
• Advice concerning the extent of ownership under a lease
• Confirmation of the extent of repairing obligations
• Missing or absentee Landlords
• Disputes over service charges

In addition we can help with the following in relation to commercial property:

• Disputes over service charges
• Landlords’ portfolio management
• Problem Tenants
• Taking action against other professional advisors
• Recommending and coordinating the involvement of other professionals (such as valuers or surveyors)
• Negotiation of terms for the grant or renewal of business leases

Click here to access our lease extension calculator.

Contact our Landlord & Tenant Solicitors

Our friendly and professional team are experts in Landlord and Tenant matters. Call us today on 0207 631 4141 or email us on leasehold@bishopandsewell.co.uk and one of our experts will be able to advise your best course of action going forward.