Leasehold Services in London & the South East
A clearer picture of your lease. Independent valuations and practical advice for lease extensions and collective freehold purchases.
Extending your lease or buying the freehold can be an important step in planning your property’s future. Before making an offer or committing to a purchase, you need to understand the likely premium, the factors affecting the valuation and the professional costs involved.
Harding Chartered Surveyors provide leasehold services across London and the South East. Our Chartered Surveyors and RICS Registered Valuers help leaseholders, freeholders and groups of flat owners make informed decisions through independent valuations and practical advice.
Whether you want to extend the lease of your flat, assess a freeholder’s proposed premium or explore buying your building’s freehold with your neighbours, we can help you identify the appropriate valuation service.
Which leasehold service do you need?
A valuation for extending one flat’s lease answers a different question from a valuation for purchasing the freehold of an entire building.
Lease extension valuation
Understand the likely premium and the factors behind it before approaching your freeholder or agreeing a proposal.
Explore lease extensionsCollective enfranchisement
Assess the potential acquisition price so participating flat owners can plan funding and consider the next steps together.
Explore freehold valuationsIndependent premium advice
Obtain valuation advice on a landlord’s proposed premium or a leaseholder’s offer before committing to financial terms.
Discuss your proposalExpert evidence
Explore whether specialist valuation evidence is appropriate for the issues involved, subject to the agreed instruction.
Expert witness servicesUnsure where to start? Tell us the property address, remaining lease term and what you hope to achieve. We can explain the relevant service before you instruct us.
Lease extension valuations
A lease extension valuation assesses the premium payable to extend your lease. It gives you an informed basis for budgeting, considering an offer and approaching negotiations with the landlord.
The valuation considers factors such as the remaining lease term, the property’s value, the ground rent and any scheduled rent increases. The applicable statutory assumptions and the circumstances of the property also affect the assessment.
- Understand the valuation factors affecting your premium.
- Consider a reasonable negotiating position.
- Plan ahead of a sale, purchase or significant lease-length threshold.
Our lease extension surveyors can explain the valuation and, where instructed, support negotiations with the landlord’s surveyor, working alongside your solicitor as the matter progresses.
Freehold valuations & collective enfranchisement
If you and your neighbours are considering buying the freehold of your building, a professional valuation helps you understand the potential acquisition price.
Collective enfranchisement is the process through which qualifying flat owners can purchase their building’s freehold together. A solicitor should confirm whether the building and participating leaseholders qualify, while the valuation assesses the financial terms of the proposed acquisition.
Plan the purchase together.
Our freehold valuations consider the relevant property interests, lease lengths, ground rents and valuation assumptions. The advice helps participating owners assess the proposal, plan funding and approach negotiations with a clearer understanding of the figures.
Before proceeding, discuss how the purchase would be funded, how costs would be shared and how the building would be managed afterwards. Freehold ownership brings continuing responsibilities for maintenance, insurance and administration, which should form part of your planning.
Lease extension & freehold calculators
Use Harding’s existing premium calculators directly below. Select your location, remaining lease term, long-lease market value and current yearly ground rent to obtain an indicative estimate.
Lease extension premium calculatorHarding’s live calculator
Estimate the premium for extending a flat’s lease. The calculator uses the same form and calculations as our existing lease extension calculator page.
The estimate does not account for potential ground rent reviews. It is a starting point for advice, rather than a formal valuation or an offer to the freeholder.
For more background, read our lease extension calculator guide.
Freehold purchase calculatorHarding’s live calculator
Explore an indicative freehold purchase premium using our existing freehold calculator. This simplified estimate is suitable only where the building’s leases have matching lengths and ground rents.
Enter the combined long-lease market value and total annual ground rent for all the flats, together with their common remaining lease term.
For mixed lease lengths, different rents, intermediate interests or mixed-use buildings, obtain a property-specific collective enfranchisement valuation. Do not treat the result as a confirmed whole-building acquisition price.
For more background, read our freehold purchase calculator guide.
Check your lease term & plan your budget
Use these additional tools to understand your lease length and add up your own estimated costs.
Approximately 2 years, 6 months until the term reaches 80 years.
Rules checked in October 2026. The current marriage-value threshold for statutory flat extensions is 80 years or fewer at the notice date. Read the current guidance.
Uses your figures; does not value the lease or calculate the premium.
- Entered costs—
- Planning buffer—
Online estimates are a starting point. Results depend on the information and assumptions used. Unusual ground rent provisions, intermediate interests and mixed-use buildings may need closer investigation. Obtain property-specific advice before making an offer.
What our clients say
Read client feedback on their experience with Harding Chartered Surveyors.
Leasehold valuation costs & timescales
Your overall budget should distinguish between the premium paid for the property interest and the professional fees involved in completing the transaction.
- Premium or purchase priceThe amount paid for the lease extension or freehold interest.
- Your professional feesValuation, negotiation and solicitor’s fees within the agreed scope.
- Other party’s costsAny landlord’s costs payable under the applicable process.
- Additional expensesTransaction charges, further expert advice or tribunal costs where applicable.
For statutory flat lease extensions, current guidance explains that leaseholders are generally responsible for the landlord’s reasonable legal and valuation costs as well as their own professional fees. Your solicitor can explain the liabilities relevant to your claim. See the Leasehold Advisory Service’s preparation guidance.
Our quotation depends on the property, the number of interests involved and the scope of work required. Ask us to confirm what is included for the initial valuation, negotiations and any subsequent advice.
From first question to next decision.
We agree what you need, assess the valuation and explain what the figures mean for your plans.
Tell us about your property
Provide the address, property type, approximate value, remaining lease term and ground rent details. For a freehold purchase, tell us how many flats and participating owners are involved. Mention existing offers, notices and deadlines.
Agree the instruction
We confirm the valuation service, information needed and scope of our appointment. Clarify whether you need an initial report, advice on an existing proposal or support through negotiations.
Assess the valuation
Your surveyor reviews the lease information and property evidence, arranging an inspection where required. We assess the premium using the appropriate approach and explain the material assumptions.
Consider the next steps
Use the advice to assess your budget and negotiating position. Where included in our appointment, we discuss the valuation with the other party’s surveyor while your solicitor manages the legal process.
Property expertise. People you can talk to.
Harding Chartered Surveyors is an independent firm serving London and the South East. Our team includes Chartered Surveyors and RICS Registered Valuers with experience in leasehold reform and property valuation.
We explain the figures in practical terms, helping you understand the assumptions behind the valuation and the decisions ahead. You can discuss your requirements with our team and agree a service appropriate to your property and objectives.
We have no ties to lenders or estate agents. Our advice is based on the property, the evidence and the purpose of the valuation.
David Toogood FRICS
David’s experience includes residential and commercial surveys, valuations, leasehold advice and expert witness reports.
View David’s profile
Charlie Colville MRICS
Charlie specialises in residential valuations, drawing on extensive Prime Central London market experience and eight years in residential agency at Strutt & Parker.
View Charlie’s profileJessica Toogood MRICS
Jessica specialises in residential and commercial valuations, with a background in quantity surveying, project management and commercial property gained during a decade at Balfour Beatty.
View Jessica’s profile
Kash Gola MRICS
Kash’s experience includes residential and commercial valuations, leasehold enfranchisement, lease renewals, rent reviews and wider landlord and tenant matters.
View Kash’s profileAcross London & the South East.
We provide leasehold valuation advice across London and the South East. Our wider coverage includes North London, East London, South London, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and surrounding Home Counties.
From converted period buildings to purpose-built blocks, the appropriate instruction depends on the property and the interests involved. Contact us with your postcode and requirements so that we can confirm availability and the relevant specialist.
Your leasehold questions, answered.
When should I consider extending my lease?
Seek advice early if you are planning to sell, reviewing your property’s future or approaching the 80-year threshold.
Under current statutory flat lease extension rules, marriage value applies where the lease has 80 years or fewer remaining when the Section 42 notice is served. This can materially affect the premium. Understanding your position before reaching that point gives you more time to plan. Read the Leasehold Advisory Service’s marriage value guidance.
How many years can I add to my flat’s lease?
Qualifying flat leaseholders can currently use the statutory route to add 90 years to the existing term, with ground rent reduced to a peppercorn.
The previous two-year ownership requirement was removed on 31 January 2025. Other eligibility conditions still apply, so your solicitor should confirm your position. See the current statutory lease extension guidance.
Have the new leasehold reforms taken effect?
Some reforms have commenced, while others still require implementation. As at October 2026, the provisions for 990-year statutory extensions and the new enfranchisement valuation framework have not yet taken effect.
Base your decision on the rules currently in force and obtain advice about how future changes could affect your circumstances. See the government’s current enfranchisement reform explanation.
Do I need both a surveyor and a solicitor?
Their work addresses different parts of the transaction. A valuation surveyor assesses the premium and can advise on negotiations. Your solicitor checks the legal position, prepares the relevant notices and documents, manages deadlines and completes the transaction.
Coordinating both advisers early helps ensure that the valuation and legal work support the same objective.
Can you advise on an informal lease extension offer?
We can assess the valuation aspects of a proposed extension within an agreed instruction. Your solicitor should review the proposed lease terms, including the length of the extension, ground rent and any other changes.
Consider the complete proposal before accepting: the initial premium is only one part of the decision.
Is buying the freehold the same as extending my lease?
They are different transactions. A lease extension increases the term of an individual lease. A collective freehold purchase involves acquiring the building’s freehold with other qualifying owners.
The right option depends on your objectives, budget, eligibility and the circumstances of the building. Discuss the valuation and legal implications before deciding which route to pursue.
Can you help if the premium is disputed?
Where instructed, we can support negotiations by explaining the valuation evidence and responding to the other party’s assumptions. If agreement remains difficult, further specialist advice or expert evidence may be appropriate.
Tell us whether a notice has already been served and whether any deadlines are approaching when you first contact us.
Let’s make your next decision clearer.
Whether you are extending your lease, reviewing a proposed premium or exploring a collective freehold purchase, Harding Chartered Surveyors can help you understand the valuation and plan your next steps.
Share your property address, lease details and objectives to receive a quotation for the appropriate service.
You can change the service within the form. Prefer the full quote page? Open our instant quote form, or contact our team.
Legal position checked on 20 October 2026. Leasehold law and valuation rules can change; confirm the current position for your property with your professional advisers.
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