London Address:
25 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1LW
Key Contacts
Jade Wilson
Direct Email: jade@leaselaw.co.uk
Direct Phone: 0204 511 9100
Joanna Botley
Direct Email: joanna@leaselaw.co.uk
Direct Phone: 0204 511 9101
LEASE Law Limited is a law firm which delivers niche lease extension and enfranchisement legal services to landlords and tenants nationally from our offices in London and Kent.
We focus exclusively on this complex area of law and you can expect the best practical advice to be given to you with a professional but personal and friendly service.
Our Background
Lease extension and enfranchisement law is a difficult area of law which requires you to instruct a solicitor with specialist expertise and experience. The majority of residential property solicitors will not carry out this work or have the expertise required to do so.
Not only has there been increased demand for reform to the law of ‘leasehold’ but there is also significant demand for solicitors to advise in this niche area. Our experience is that new clients are often relieved to find an approachable solicitor with genuine expertise after first receiving mixed and unclear advice from other non-specialist solicitors.
For many years, our Directors, Joanna Botley and Jade Wilson have been passionate about this area of law and shared the same ambition to launch a firm that could cater exclusively for clients to provide the best advice to them in this area and with this is mind launched LEASE Law.
Our Ethos & Key Objective
We understand that it can be frustrating for clients when they cannot contact their solicitor, and at LEASE Law, we strive to be as available as possible for our clients, other solicitors or third parties, such as valuers or estate agents, to ensure that your transaction proceeds as smoothly as possible.
We deliver our services with the following key objectives at the forefront of our minds:-
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To ensure that each of our clients attains the best possible outcome.
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To maintain a common sense and practical approach to your matter.
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To conduct ourselves and our services in an efficient, friendly and responsive way meaning that you are always kept informed of progress and that you always know that we are going above and beyond.
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To provide you with a transparent and accurate fees and disbursement estimate at the outset prior to our instruction and to ensure our fees remain competitive.
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To be friendly and approachable to ensure that you feel at ease and are able to contact us as often as required.
The Directors
Our Directors, Jade Wilson and Joanna Botley have been specialist solicitors in this area practising in central London for a number of years. They have a considerable amount of experience in dealing with high value London property and buildings with the most complex leasehold structures, for example buildings with multiple intermediate head leases between the flat owner’s leasehold interest and the freehold interest.
We are experienced in dealing with all estate landlords including the St Georges Estate, Grosvenor Estate, Portman Estate, Cadogan Estate, Wellcome Trust, Howard de Walden Estate, various local authorities and companies forming part of the Estates and Management group.
Jade Wilson
Jade has been specialising in enfranchisement and lease extension work since 2015 and she prides herself on being extremely efficient, friendly and approachable. She ensures that each of her clients is a priority no matter how big or small the instruction is and is committed to ensuring that each and every one of her clients attains the best achievable result with the minimum amount of stress.
Jade understands that communication is key, and is dedicated to keeping her clients up to date and responding to all parties as quickly as possible to keep transactions moving.
Joanna Botley
Prior to launching LEASE Law, Joanna’s career was exclusively in property law in London where she spent eleven years as a Partner of a larger property law practice. Her passion and focus has been advising in connection with lease extensions, enfranchisement matters, right to manage and related issues.
She enjoys the complexities of the legislation and using her technical knowledge to help her clients.
Joanna has a loyal client base built on personal recommendations from her high level of service, knowledge and her approachable manner and maintains good relationships with other solicitors, valuers and managing agents who often seek her guidance.
Key Cases
The Corporation of Trinity House Deptford Strond v 4-6 Trinity Church Square Freehold Limited (2018)
Joanna’s most recent and notable case is the above collective enfranchisement case which was a Court of Appeal decision relating to the appurtenant land to be acquired by the nominee purchaser.
The case involved a building consisting of ten flats, each lease granting the tenant a revocable licence to use building's private garden.
Joanna’s initial investigation of the claim was that the garden could be acquired pursuant to s1(3) on the basis that the tenants were entitled under their leases to use the garden in common. The licence had not been revoked on the date that the s13 Initial Notice of Claim was served.
The licence to use the garden was subsequently revoked and the tenants locked out of the garden.
The case proceeded first to the Upper Tribunal and then the Court of Appeal on the interpretation of the wording of s1(4) of the 1993 Act and whether the right to acquire the garden could be taken to be satisfied by a revocable right. The tenant won the case and a permanent right to use the garden was ordered. The case is well reported and notable when considering the appurtenant land which should be acquired by the tenants of a building in a collective enfranchisement claim.
CQN RTM Co. Ltd v Broad Quay North Block Freehold and another (2018)
Jade was the leading solicitor in the above Upper Tribunal case involving a right to manage claim made against her clients.
The right to manage claim was disputed on the basis that the building did not comply with s72(1) of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 as it was not a 'self-contained building or part of a building'.
At the Upper Tribunal hearing the RTM company argued that the building was a self-contained building as it was structurally detached from the remainder of the building which it was connected to. It was argued that the structural supporting frame of the building was not integrated with the structural supporting frame of the building adjoining and that the two frames were merely touching. Our clients argued that the structure of the building must be considered as more that the load bearing framework and must be given its ordinary and natural meaning which must include those elements which give the building their essential appearance, stability and shape.
The Upper Tribunal stated that 'structural' should be defined as meaning 'appertaining or relating to the essential or core fabric of the building' and that the question of whether the premises comprises a self-contained building 'depends on the nature and degree of attachment between the subject building and any other adjoining structures'. The Upper Tribunal held that the degree of attachment between the premises and the neighbouring hotel extension was insufficient to make the premises not 'structurally detached'.
Our Services
We deal with all aspects of specialist enfranchisement law, whether you are a landlord or a tenant, including:-
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Lease extension of flats – a leaseholder formally or informally extending the lease over their flat;
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Collective enfranchisement claims – a group of leaseholders making a joint claim to acquire the freehold of their building;
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Informal purchases of the freehold – a group of leaseholders agreeing with their landlord for the purchase of their freehold;
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Right to manage claims – a group of leaseholders making a claim for the right to manage their building;
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Tenant’s Right of First Refusal (Section 5) Notices – a group of leaseholders accepting the Landlord’s offer to sell the freehold of their building (either by contract or by auction);
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Lease extension and enfranchisement of houses – a leaseholder making a claim for (or informally agreeing) a lease extension or purchasing the freehold of their house;
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Missing Landlord Claims – a leaseholder or group of leaseholders making a claim for a lease extension or to buy the freehold of a flat or house where there is a missing landlord;
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Buying or selling with a short lease – buying or selling a property with a short lease;
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Licences for Alterations – the grant of consent to the leaseholder to make alterations to a flat or leasehold house;
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Licences to Assign – the grant of consent to the leaseholder to selling their flat or house;
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Deed of Variations or Rectifications – granting a variation or rectification to an existing lease.
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General lease advice – general advice regarding interpretation of lease documents or residential lease issues.
