Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE)

Free advice for leaseholders in England and Wales

Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) is a government-funded advice service that provides free information to leaseholders and park home owners. Its work focuses on resolving questions and problems arising from leasehold ownership, as well as guiding the housing, advice and volunteering sector.

Areas of advice

The service organises its content into several thematic blocks covering the main issues affecting leaseholders:

• Building management: includes information on buildings insurance for leasehold properties, fire safety in flats, management of leasehold properties, repairs and maintenance, right to manage and recognised tenants' associations.
• Buying and selling: covers the process of buying and selling a leasehold property and buying the freehold, including the right of first refusal.
• Costs and charges: deals with administration charges, ground rent, reserve or sinking funds, Section 20 consultation and service charges.
• Disputes: offers guidance on resolving a dispute informally, making a formal complaint, taking legal action (including applying to a tribunal) and the consequences of breaching your lease and forfeiture.
• Lease extension: explains how to extend the lease of flats and houses, the options available and the costs, as well as planned leasehold reforms.
• Leasehold essentials: includes a general explanation of how leasehold works, a basic guide to leaseholder rights and responsibilities, lease variation, government reforms and shared ownership.

Practical tools and resources

LEASE provides users with a lease extension calculator that allows them to check the length of the lease and estimate the cost of extending the lease of a flat in England or Wales. It also offers letter templates, an e-learning course, data insights and a mobile app (LEASE Advice app) that allows users to access information even when offline. It also publishes tribunal decisions and resources specific to park homes and Wales.

Institutional profile and scope

The organisation presents itself as the reference service for leaseholders and park home owners, and as a source of information for the housing, advice and volunteering sector. It is registered in England with number 3296985. Its registered office is not detailed in the available information, but its scope of operation includes England and Wales, as indicated by the lease extension calculator and the resources specific to Wales.

Publications and updates

The service maintains a news section and allows users to subscribe to a free email newsletter to receive updates on leasehold topics. Featured content includes guides on service charges, responding to Section 20 consultation, buying a share of the freehold for flats and the costs involved in shared ownership.