Find accurate, official guidance on leasehold rights and service charges from LEASE and GOV.UK.
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 introduced major changes including making it cheaper and easier to extend your lease, buy your freehold and challenge unreasonable service charges.
You have the right to a 990-year lease extension at zero ground rent. Service charges must be reasonable and you can challenge them at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
Key areas covered: leasehold reform, service charges, lease extension, freehold purchase, right to manage, ground rent. Verified against GOV.UK.
Beyond cheaper lease extensions, the reforms removed the previous 2-year ownership requirement before you could extend your lease or buy your freehold, and increased transparency requirements around service charge demands — landlords must now provide clearer, more detailed breakdowns of what you're being charged for.
The First-tier Tribunal can determine whether a service charge is reasonable and whether work or services were actually carried out to a reasonable standard — this is a genuinely accessible route, designed to be usable without needing to instruct a solicitor for straightforward disputes.
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Our guidance covers many common situations, but complex or high-stakes cases need professional advice. Official information: GOV.UK (England), GOV.WALES (Wales), mygov.scot (Scotland) and nidirect (Northern Ireland). For free help, contact Citizens Advice (England 0800 144 8848, Wales 0800 702 2020), Citizens Advice Scotland (0800 028 1456) or Advice NI (0800 915 4604), or speak to a solicitor.
Need free advice? Citizens Advice — citizensadvice.org.uk or call 0800 144 8848 (free).
Need a solicitor? Law Society — Find a Solicitor.
📖 Want the full picture? Read our guide: Leasehold Rights
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