Leasehold Enfranchisement and Management Services (LEMS)
If you are the landlord or leaseholder of a residential flat and require assistance in relation to leasehold enfranchisement rights, Blacks Solicitors’ specialist Leasehold Enfranchisement and Management Service (LEMS) Team can help. We offer specialist support to landlords and leaseholders of residential flats, in relation to their rights under leasehold enfranchisement legislation and the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, as well as property management services to management companies and managing agents.
The Team, who are members of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) and the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA), offers a highly professional and personalised service in an increasingly complex area of law. Our broad range of skills and experience means that we can always find the right person to advise you. Some of the ways in which we can help you are listed below.
Individual Rights
Advising on the right of a leaseholder (of a residential flat) to acquire a lease extension by negotiating with the landlord, or by enforcing their statutory rights.
- We have acted for numerous leaseholders who have extended their leases via the statutory route, including making application to the First-tier Tribunal Property Chamber (Residential Property) where terms cannot be agreed with the Landlord;
- We have dealt with and been successful in rectifying problems and errors in various statutory lease extension claims, which have been transferred to us by conveyancing solicitors post-service of an incorrect Section 42 notice (statutory notice).
- We also act for Landlords in the grant of a lease extension via statute or through negotiation.
Collective Rights
Advising on the various collective rights which groups of leaseholders of long leases of flats have, such as:
- Right to Collective Enfranchisement: Where leaseholders can force the landlord to sell them the freehold.
- Right to Manage: Where leaseholders can take over the responsibility to manage the freehold from the landlord.
- Tenants Right of First Refusal: Where the landlord has to give the leaseholders a ‘right of first refusal’ to buy the freehold before selling the freehold to a third party.
Variation of Leases
The Team can support you with rectifying errors in a lease (e.g. incorrect plans), or varying a lease to deal with the acquisition of a loft space or additional living space, or variations to a lease to make it compliant with a mortgage lender’s requirements.
Licence for Alterations
Acting for the landlord or leaseholder in preparing the necessary licence in accordance with lease covenants to enable proposed works a leaseholder wants to carry out to a leasehold property.
Preparation/Grant of Leases
Advising property owners who wish to convert a freehold property into leasehold flats, and preparing and granting the long leases.
Property Management Services
Our Team can provide support and assistance to Landlords and Management Companies with formal leasehold information requests (LPE1), licences to assign, notices of assignment and charge, deed of covenant requirements and service charge and ground rent disputes.
- We have a portfolio of Management Companies that we act for in relation to providing management services on an ongoing basis.
For more information about Blacks’ services, or for a free no obligation discussion, please email or call our LEMS Team today on the following:
Anushka Nicholas, Partner - ANicholas@LawBlacks.com DD: 0113 227 9284
Josh Ackroyd, Paralegal - JAckroyd@LawBlacks.com DD: 0113 322 2819
