Selling Property with No Lease in the UK

You need to find out who owns the freehold of your building first.

This information should be in your flat’s legal papers or at the Land Registry. Sometimes freeholders are companies, sometimes they’re private people. You might need to contact the managing agents who look after the building for the freeholder.

Once you find them, you have to ask nicely for a new lease.

Freeholders don’t have to say yes to new leases like they do with extensions. They can refuse for any reason or no reason at all. Some freeholders are helpful and want to solve problems, while others just want to make money.

New leases often cost more than extending your old lease.

Freeholders can charge whatever they want because you don’t have legal rights to force them. They might ask for £20,000 to £100,000 or even more, depending on your flat’s value. There’s no set formula like there is with extensions.

You also have to pay for all the legal costs.

Both your solicitor and the freeholder’s solicitor need to be paid. This can add thousands more to the total cost. The freeholder might also want money for their surveyor and other experts, too.

New leases can be quicker than extensions if the freeholder agrees.

Without legal fights, the whole process might take 2-4 months. You still need solicitors to write the new lease agreement and check all the legal details. The Land Registry also needs to record the new lease officially.

But disagreements can make things take much longer.

If you can’t agree on the price or lease terms, talks can drag on for months. Unlike extensions, you can’t force the freeholder to hurry up or accept your offer. They hold all the power in new lease negotiations.

Freeholders can say no to new leases for many reasons.

They might want to keep short leases so flats lose value and they can buy them cheaply later. Some freeholders prefer the income from ground rent on short leases. Others just don’t want the hassle of legal work.

You have no legal right to force them to give you a new lease.

This is very different from lease extensions, where freeholders must cooperate. If they refuse, your only choice is to extend the old lease instead. Sometimes, there are things you shouldn’t fix when selling, and new leases might be one of them.

You might be able to buy the whole freehold instead.

If your building has flats, you can team up with other flat owners to buy the freehold together. This is called collective enfranchisement and gives you legal rights that the freeholder can’t refuse. Once you own the freehold, you can give yourselves long leases.

Single flat owners can sometimes buy the freehold of their whole building.

This only works if you meet strict legal rules about the building size and lease length. Buying a freehold costs a lot of money upfront, but gives you complete control. You can then sell your flat with a very long lease that buyers love.

No bank will give a mortgage for a property without a proper lease.

Banks need to see legal proof that you actually own the right to live there. Without a valid lease, they can’t be sure the property is yours to sell. They also can’t take the property back if you don’t pay your mortgage.

This means only cash buyers can purchase properties with no lease.

Very few people have enough money to buy properties with cash only. Most buyers need bank loans to afford homes. When banks refuse to help, you lose almost every possible buyer for your property.

Most estate agents won’t touch properties without proper leases.

These properties are extremely hard to sell and cause lots of legal problems. Many agents don’t understand the complicated legal issues involved. They worry that unsellable properties will damage their reputation with other clients.

The few agents who will help often don’t know what they’re doing.

They can’t explain the legal problems to buyers or suggest solutions. This makes viewings confusing and puts people off even more. Good agents prefer quick, easy sales that don’t cause headaches.

Properties without leases have serious legal problems that worry buyers.

Nobody knows for certain who really owns the property or has the right to sell it. There might be other people who claim ownership, too. Buyers’ solicitors always tell them not to buy properties with unclear ownership.

The legal paperwork needed to fix these problems is very complicated.

You need specialist solicitors who understand property law and title issues. This costs much more money than normal house sales. Many buyers give up when they see how complex and expensive the legal work becomes.

Solicitors always spot title problems in properties without proper leases.

They check the legal ownership documents and immediately see when leases are missing or invalid. Their job is to protect buyers from legal risks, so they warn against buying problem properties. Most solicitors refuse to handle these sales.

These title problems can take months or years to sort out.

Sometimes you need court orders to prove ownership or create new legal documents. Other people might come forward claiming they own part of the property. All this uncertainty makes buyers run away quickly.

It’s hard to arrange viewings when nobody knows who really owns the property.

Buyers worry about whether you have the legal right to sell or even show them around. Some buyers’ solicitors tell them not to view properties with unclear ownership. This cuts down the already tiny number of people interested.

Insurance problems also make viewings risky.

If someone gets hurt during a viewing, it’s not clear who’s responsible. Many buyers won’t take the risk of visiting properties with legal ownership problems. If you’re wondering why your house isn’t selling, missing leases are probably the biggest problem of all.

Properties without leases can sit empty for years without any serious buyers.

Most house sales take months, but we can buy your property in as little as 7 days.

This quick process is perfect if you need to move soon or want to avoid being stuck in a long chain of buyers and sellers. We have the cash on hand so don’t need to wait for mortgages or a chain to collapse. 

Did you know 1 in 3 sales fall through on the open market?

We know how frustrating it is to get 6 months into a process and have a buyer pull out.

When we give you the final price for your house, that’s the amount you’ll get. Guaranteed!

You won’t face any costs with us.

We handle all the expenses involved in buying your property, including legal fees and surveys. You get cash in your bank when the sale is complete, and there are no surprise estate agent commissions to worry about.

Our team supports you through the whole selling process.

We keep you updated about what’s happening and answer any questions quickly. You’ll always understand what’s going on with your sale and what happens next.

Our property experts will value your house at no cost to you.

They look carefully at your property and check local market prices to give you an accurate figure. This professional service comes with no obligations.

Forget about cleaning and tidying for viewings.

We don’t need multiple visits or open houses to make our offer. This means no strangers walking through your home, and no disruption to your daily life.

Whether your house needs work or is in perfect condition, we’ll buy it.

We have experience with all types of properties and conditions. This means you can sell your house to us no matter what state it’s in.

Our expert team manages all the legal requirements for you.

We work with experienced property lawyers who make sure everything runs smoothly, and put your property at the top of their list. This gives you peace of mind that your sale is being handled properly from start to finish.