Lease extensions for flats in England and Wales

Check what is in force before you decide to wait.

For qualifying flat owners in England and Wales, the current statutory route adds 90 years to the remaining term and reduces ground rent to a peppercorn (zero). A premium is payable. The planned 990-year route is not yet available.

Check the current route with LEASE

View the supporting illustration

Illustration of a lease term running down beside a leasehold home

Start here

Four facts before choosing a route.

The remaining term

Confirm the commencement date, original term and any earlier extension or variation from the executed lease and registered title.

The current statutory route

The present route for qualifying flat owners sits in the 1993 Act. Qualification, notices, valuation and deadlines need to be checked against the current facts.

Any voluntary offer

A landlord may offer an informal extension. Compare the premium, new term, In plain EnglishRent reserved by a lease. It is separate from service charges and administration charges.Read the official guidance, review clauses, costs and every other proposed change with the statutory route.

Reform status

Many 2024 Act measures, including the planned 990-year standard term, are not yet available. Check commencement before relying on a reform headline.

Why the term still matters

Under the current route, 80 years is still a live valuation threshold.

If a flat lease has 80 years or fewer remaining when the statutory Section 42 notice is served, the present valuation model can include marriage value. If it has more than 80 years remaining, marriage value is not payable under that model.

Confirm the exact term

Use the executed lease, commencement date, original term and any deed that changed it. Do not rely on the estate-agent listing.

Do not assume reform has started

The 2024 Act provides for a new valuation model without marriage value, but the relevant enfranchisement valuation provisions are not yet in force.

Get advice before deciding to wait

Sale timing, mortgageability, premium, professional costs and future commencement can pull in different directions. Use a specialist valuer and solicitor.

Reform status checked 9 October 2026. This explains why the number matters. It is not a premium estimate or advice to extend, sell, wait or serve a notice.

LEASE: marriage value and the 80-year rule Government: the new valuation provisions are not yet in force

Work through it

Do not let one headline make the decision for you.

01
Read the lease and title
Confirm the flat, landlord, original term, commencement date, current ground rent and any deed that changes the lease.
02
Check the current route
Establish whether the statutory flat route applies now, whether an informal route is also offered and which notices or deadlines matter.
03
Compare the whole offer
Look beyond the premium. Compare term, ground rent, legal and valuation costs, altered clauses, mortgage requirements and timing.
04
Use current specialist advice
A lease extension is a conveyancing and valuation transaction. Use advisers who can work from the signed lease and current law.

Take the next step in LEASE-iQ®

What does this lease establish about the current term?

Use this before comparing a statutory route, voluntary deal or In plain EnglishA formal document that changes specified terms of an existing lease and must be read with it.Open the plain-English glossary.

Copy questions for this issue

Questions to paste into LEASE-iQ

I have uploaded the signed lease. Please establish the document facts needed before I take advice on extending or changing it.

Please:
1. Identify the parties, property, commencement date, term granted, expiry date and current ground-rent provisions. Quote the clause and page for each.
2. Identify any break, renewal, variation, review, assignment or other wording that may affect the apparent term or payment position.
3. Flag references to a headlease, deed of variation, supplemental lease or title document that I have not supplied.
4. Separate the facts found in this lease from the current statutory route and any reform that is not yet in force.
5. Do not estimate a premium or advise which route I should choose.
6. List the ownership, occupation, title, valuation and timing facts a solicitor or valuer will need.
7. Finish with a concise document summary I can send to my professional adviser, with every fact linked to its clause and page.

Keep checking: Valuation, eligibility, notices and transaction advice require current case-specific professional input.

Open the sources

Check the route that is in force today.

This page helps frame a lease-extension decision. It does not confirm eligibility, calculate a premium or advise whether to wait. Those points depend on the lease, title, valuation facts, current commencement position and transaction timing.

Legislation1993 Act, section 39

Current statutory right for qualifying tenants of flats

Independent guidanceLEASE formal-route guide

Current process, eligibility and preparation for extending a flat lease

Independent guidanceLEASE reform tracker

Which lease-extension reforms are and are not in force

Government updateGovernment valuation consultation

Consultation on future rates, updated 7 September 2026; closes 21 October 2026

Prepared by Adam Street, founder of building trust. Current route and reform sources reviewed 9 October 2026. The reform timetable can change. Check the official legislation and the latest LEASE update before acting.