Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993
Lease extension solicitor fees, and what else you pay
Most leaseholders arrive here with one number in mind and leave understanding four. The solicitor's fee is the charge for conducting the matter. The premium is the sum paid to the landlord for the new lease, and it is usually much the larger figure. A valuer's fee is separate again. On the statutory route the leaseholder is also liable for the landlord's reasonable costs. Tell us about your lease and leasehold solicitors will quote you for the legal work.
90 years
the extension gov.uk says you may be able to obtain on a flat if you qualify
80 years
gov.uk: when 80 years or less remain, the cost of extending increases significantly
Section 60
of the 1993 Act makes the tenant liable for the landlord's reasonable costs of investigating the claim, valuation and the grant of the new lease
What happens next
- Set out the lease: property type, remaining term, which route you are considering and where the landlord stands. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to solicitors who conduct leasehold enfranchisement work in your area, and to no one else.
- They contact you directly with their fee for the legal work and what else the matter will require. Compare, instruct, or decline.
Lease Extension Quotes is an independent site operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. We are not a firm of solicitors or surveyors and we are not affiliated with any firm, tribunal or government body named here. We pass the details you submit to relevant leasehold solicitors, who contact you directly; we may receive a fee from those firms, and you pay nothing for the introduction. Nothing on this site is legal advice or a valuation, and no figure here is a quotation. The statutory position summarised here is being changed by the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, whose provisions commence at different times, so check current gov.uk guidance and take advice on your own lease.
Lease extension: who you pay, and what decides each figure
Last updated
The single most confusing thing about extending a lease is that the word cost covers at least four different payments to at least three different people. This table separates them. It is a cost driver breakdown rather than a price list: the premium is a valuation question specific to your lease, and professional fees are set by each firm, so no honest table can put a single figure against your flat.
A breakdown of the payments that arise on a lease extension, what determines the size of each, and what to ask a firm before instructing. It is deliberately not a price list. The statutory position stated here is taken from the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and from gov.uk guidance on extending a lease, checked on 14 August 2026. Section 60 of the 1993 Act, as shown on legislation.gov.uk on that date, makes the tenant liable for the landlord's reasonable costs of investigating the right, of the valuation and of the grant of the new lease, and expressly not for the other side's costs in tribunal proceedings. Note that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 changes parts of this regime and its provisions do not all commence at the same time, so check current gov.uk guidance and take advice before relying on any of it. Obtain written quotes for your own matter through the form above.
| What you pay | Who it goes to | What decides the size | What to ask for before instructing |
|---|---|---|---|
| The premium | The landlord or freeholder | A valuation question, not a legal one. Driven by the value of the flat, the remaining term, the ground rent payable under the existing lease, and the statutory basis that applies to your claim. Gov.uk states that when 80 years or less remain the cost of extending increases significantly. | A valuation before you commit, and a written explanation of which valuation assumptions the valuer has applied |
| Your solicitor's fee | Your own solicitor | The route taken, whether the landlord is traceable and cooperative, whether the claim reaches the tribunal, and whether a sale is running alongside it. Charged as a fixed fee or an hourly rate depending on the firm. | A fixed fee where the firm will give one, with the trigger points that take the matter outside it stated in writing |
| Your valuer's fee | A surveyor or valuer, separately instructed | A distinct professional discipline from the legal work. Driven by the property, whether an inspection is needed, and whether the valuer is later required to negotiate with the landlord's valuer or give evidence. | Whether the quoted fee covers negotiation with the other side's valuer, or only the initial report |
| The landlord's reasonable costs | The landlord, who passes on what their advisers charge | On a statutory claim, section 60 of the 1993 Act makes the tenant liable for the landlord's reasonable costs of investigating the right, of the valuation and of the grant of the new lease. Subsection (2) limits recovery to what the landlord would reasonably have incurred if paying personally. | An early estimate of the landlord's costs, and confirmation that anything unreasonable will be challenged rather than simply paid |
| Tribunal stage costs | The tribunal, and your own advisers | Only arises if the premium or terms cannot be agreed. Section 60(5) provides that the tenant is not liable under that section for costs a party incurs in tribunal proceedings, so each side generally carries its own there. | What the firm charges for a tribunal application and hearing, quoted separately from the main fee |
| Disbursements | Land Registry, search providers and others | Official copies of the title, registration of the new lease and similar items. Small relative to the premium, but they are real and they are not part of the professional fee. | A written list of expected disbursements, so the quote you compare is the whole outlay |
- Extending a lease involves at least four separate payments: the premium to the landlord, your own solicitor's fee, a valuer's fee, and on the statutory route the landlord's reasonable costs under section 60 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.
- Gov.uk states that a qualifying leaseholder may be able to extend by 90 years on a flat or 50 years on a house, and that when 80 years or less remain on the lease the cost of extending increases significantly (checked August 2026).
- Section 60 of the 1993 Act makes the tenant liable for the landlord's reasonable costs of investigating the right, of the valuation and of the grant of the new lease, but section 60(5) provides that the tenant is not liable under that section for costs incurred in tribunal proceedings.
- The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 alters parts of the statutory lease extension regime and its provisions do not all take effect at once, so the position stated by any source should be checked against current gov.uk guidance before it is relied on.
Cite this page
“Lease extension: who you pay, and what decides each figure”, Lease Extension Quotes, https://leaseextensionquotes.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). A breakdown of the payments that arise on a lease extension, what determines the size of each, and what to ask a firm before instructing. It is deliberately not a price list. The statutory position stated here is taken from the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and from gov.uk guidance on extending a lease, checked on 14 August 2026. Section 60 of the 1993 Act, as shown on legislation.gov.uk on that date, makes the tenant liable for the landlord's reasonable costs of investigating the right, of the valuation and of the grant of the new lease, and expressly not for the other side's costs in tribunal proceedings. Note that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 changes parts of this regime and its provisions do not all commence at the same time, so check current gov.uk guidance and take advice before relying on any of it. Obtain written quotes for your own matter through the form above.
Read next
Every figure sourced and dated.
- Lease extension solicitor fees: what the legal fee covers
What a leasehold solicitor's fee actually buys on a lease extension, what takes a matter outside a fixed fee, and the questions that make two quotes comparable.
- Lease extension cost breakdown: premium, fees and who gets paid
The premium, your solicitor, your valuer and the landlord's reasonable costs are four different payments to three different people. What decides the size of each.
- Statutory vs informal lease extension: which route to take
The 1993 Act route has a prescribed procedure and a costs rule. An informal deal with the landlord has neither. How the two compare on price, terms and risk.
- Lease extension valuation: why the surveyor is a separate fee
The premium is a valuation question, not a legal one. What a lease extension valuer does, why the fee sits outside the solicitor's quote, and when to instruct one.
Common questions
How much do solicitors charge for a lease extension?
There is no standard figure and no body sets one: firms quote either a fixed fee or an hourly rate for conducting the matter. What moves it is the route taken, whether the landlord is traceable and cooperative, whether the claim reaches the tribunal and whether a sale is running alongside. Ask for a fixed fee with the exclusions listed in writing, and remember the fee is separate from the premium.
What is the difference between the premium and the solicitor's fee?
The premium is the sum paid to the landlord for the grant of the new lease, determined by valuation, and it is normally much the larger figure. The solicitor's fee is what your own solicitor charges for conducting the matter. They are different payments to different people, and a quote for one is not a quote for the other.
How many years can I add to my lease?
Gov.uk states that you might be able to extend your lease by 90 years on a flat if you qualify, or 50 years on a house if you qualify. Qualification is a question about your lease and your circumstances, and parts of the statutory regime are being changed by the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, so check current gov.uk guidance and take advice on your own lease.
Why does everyone talk about 80 years?
Because gov.uk states that when there are 80 years or less remaining on your lease, the cost of extending it increases significantly. That makes the remaining term something to check early rather than when a sale is already agreed. The precise valuation consequences are a matter for a valuer and are affected by legislation currently changing.
Do I pay the landlord's costs as well as my own?
On the statutory route, yes in part. Section 60 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 makes the tenant liable for the landlord's reasonable costs of investigating the right, of the valuation and of the grant of the new lease. Section 60(2) limits that to what the landlord would reasonably have incurred if paying personally, and section 60(5) provides that the tenant is not liable under that section for costs incurred in tribunal proceedings.
Has the law on lease extensions changed?
Parts of it are changing. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 alters aspects of the statutory regime, and its provisions do not all come into force at the same time. That means older articles, and general descriptions including this one, can be out of date on qualification, valuation and costs. Check current gov.uk guidance and take advice on your own lease before acting.
Is this introduction service free to use?
Yes, free to you and with no obligation to instruct anyone. We pass your details only to solicitors who handle leasehold work of the kind you describe, and they contact you directly. We may receive a fee from those firms, which is how the service is funded.