The 80-Year Rule How It Works Our Fees FAQs Get Free Assessment
Lease Extension Specialists · London

Is your lease approaching 80 years?

Once your lease drops below 80 years, the cost to extend increases significantly — often by tens of thousands of pounds. We act for leaseholders before that happens.

Get a free assessment How it works
Cost to extend — by lease length
90 years
~£8k
82 years
~£18k
80 years
~£28k
78 years
~£45k
75 years
~£65k

Illustrative figures for a £400,000 London flat. The sharp increase below 80 years is caused by marriage value — an additional sum equal to 50% of the uplift in your property's value, which becomes payable to the freeholder the moment your lease crosses this threshold.

The 80-Year Rule

Why lease length matters more than you think

Lease extensions are governed by the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. The legislation contains one critical threshold that every leaseholder needs to understand.

When a lease drops below 80 years, a concept called marriage value is triggered. This is an additional sum — equal to 50% of the increase in your property's value from extending — that becomes payable to your freeholder on top of the standard premium. It can add tens of thousands of pounds to the cost overnight.

Many leaseholders only discover this when they try to sell or remortgage — at which point their options are significantly more limited and costly.

85–100 years
Act when ready
No marriage value. Most lenders comfortable. Extension premium is manageable. No urgency but extending now locks in a lower cost.
80–84 years
Act soon — approaching the cliff
Still above the threshold but time is running out. Every year that passes increases the premium. This is the ideal window to act.
Below 80 years
Act immediately
Marriage value now applies. Premium is significantly higher. Some mortgage lenders may already be declining. Do not delay further.
Below 70 years
Critical — limited options
Most lenders will not lend. Buyer pool is severely restricted. Property is difficult to sell without extending first. Immediate action required.
The Process

How we handle your extension

From initial assessment through to agreed premium — a straightforward process with no surprises. You deal with one person throughout.

01
Free assessment
We review your lease details and provide an honest assessment of your position, the likely premium range, and the best route forward — at no charge.
02
Formal valuation
We prepare a detailed valuation of the lease extension premium using the statutory formula, comparable evidence, and our knowledge of your freeholder.
03
Serve notice
We advise on serving the Section 42 statutory notice, locking in your legal rights and triggering the freeholder's obligation to respond.
04
Negotiate & settle
We negotiate directly with the freeholder's surveyor, using comparable evidence to secure the lowest achievable premium. Most cases settle without going to Tribunal.
Our Fees

Simple, transparent pricing

A fixed fee covers the full service from start to finish. A performance element means we share in the saving we achieve for you — so we are always motivated to negotiate the lowest possible premium.

Payable on instruction
Fixed fee
£1,200
Covers the full service — no matter how long it takes
  • Free initial assessment
  • Formal premium valuation report
  • Section 42 notice advice and review
  • Full negotiation with freeholder's surveyor
  • Comparable evidence research
  • Liaison with your solicitor throughout
  • Attendance at Tribunal if required
  • Single point of contact — Thomas Barrs
Payable on completion
Performance fee
20%
Of the saving achieved below the freeholder's opening figure
  • Only payable if we save you money
  • If the freeholder's counter notice comes in at £15,000 and we settle at £10,000 — you save £5,000 and our performance fee is £1,000
  • Aligned incentives: we earn more only when you save more
Example — typical lease extension
Freeholder opens at£15,000
Agreed settlement£10,000
Saving achieved£5,000
Performance fee (20%)£1,000
You will also need a solicitor for the legal conveyancing — typically £1,500 to £2,500 — and you are responsible for the freeholder's reasonable costs on completion, usually £1,000 to £1,500. We explain all costs in full before you instruct us. There are no surprises.
Why Barrs Lease

Both sides of the negotiation

What sets us apart is where we come from. We have worked on both sides of lease extension negotiations — which means we understand exactly how freeholders value these claims and where they will move.

Chartered Surveyors
Barrs Lease are MRICS Chartered Surveyors with over 20 years of experience in property valuation across London and the South East.
Aligned incentives
Our performance fee means we only earn more when we save you more. We are motivated to negotiate the lowest possible premium — because our result depends on yours.
Personal service
You deal with Thomas Barrs directly throughout. Not a call centre, not a junior case handler — one experienced surveyor who knows your case inside out.
London specialists
We focus exclusively on London leasehold. We know the freeholders, the local tone of comparables, and the Tribunal landscape across every borough.
Data-driven approach
We use the Land Registry and VOA datasets to build the strongest possible comparable evidence base for every case — giving you the best position before negotiations begin.
Free initial assessment
We will tell you honestly whether your case is worth pursuing, what we think the premium will be, and what the best route forward is — before you spend a penny.
Common Questions

Everything you need to know

How do I know if I need to extend my lease?
Check your lease documents — the original term and start date will be stated. Subtract the elapsed years to get your remaining term. If you do not have your lease documents, the Land Registry holds a copy for a small fee. If your remaining term is below 90 years, it is worth getting an assessment. Below 85 years, we would strongly recommend acting.
What is marriage value and why does it matter?
Marriage value is the increase in your property's value that occurs when the lease is extended. When a lease is below 80 years, the freeholder is legally entitled to 50% of this uplift as part of the extension premium. On a London flat worth £400,000, this can easily add £20,000 to £50,000 to the cost of extending. Above 80 years, no marriage value is payable.
Can my freeholder refuse to extend my lease?
No. Once you serve a statutory Section 42 notice, the freeholder is legally obliged to respond and to negotiate. They cannot refuse. The only thing they can dispute is the price. If you cannot agree a premium, either party can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for an independent determination. The Tribunal's decision is binding on both sides.
How long does the process take?
An informal negotiation can often be resolved in 6 to 12 weeks. The formal statutory route takes longer: the freeholder has two months to respond to the Section 42 notice, and you then have six months to agree or proceed to Tribunal. Most cases settle well before Tribunal. We will advise on the best route for your specific situation.
Do I need to be living in the flat to extend the lease?
No. You can extend whether you live there or let it out. You simply need to be the registered leaseholder. Since January 2025, you can also extend as soon as you purchase a property — the previous two-year ownership rule has been abolished under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.
Should I wait for the new leasehold reforms?
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 proposes to abolish marriage value, but as of 2026 the key valuation reforms are not yet in force and implementation is not expected before late 2027 at the earliest. Waiting risks your lease shortening further, potentially costing more even under new rules. We can advise on whether waiting or acting now is right for your specific situation.
What does the extension give me?
A statutory lease extension adds 90 years to your existing term and reduces the ground rent to a peppercorn — effectively zero. So if you have 78 years left, you end up with 168 years. This makes the property fully mortgageable again, removes the ground rent liability, and restores the full market value of the flat.
Get in touch

Start with a free assessment

There is no obligation and no charge for an initial conversation. We will review your lease, give you a straightforward view of your position, and tell you what the likely cost of extending would be — before you commit to anything.

Phone
07377 100 314
Email
thomas@barrslease.co.uk
Website
barrslease.co.uk
Thomas Barrs
Barrs Lease — Chartered Surveyors
Thomas handles all lease extension enquiries personally and covers London directly. He will respond to all enquiries within one working day.
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