I am proceeding under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and have agreed the terms of the lease extension, but have not completed. What can I do?
In circumstances where the freeholder has refused to complete or is unwilling to do so for a number of reasons, it may become necessary to make an application under the County Court. This needs to be done within a certain time frame with terms being agreed or there is a significant risk that the claim will be lost.
You should take specialist advice on this, but in general terms the relevant time frame is 4 months from the date on which all of the terms where agreed.
If you are proceeding in a voluntary transaction (where no notices have been served) then there is no obligation for the landlord to cooperate with you, unless you have exchanged a contract or have some other enforceable mechanism to ensure that the lease is granted. For further guidance on this, expert help will be required.
- More information on extending your lease.