All toolsLeasehold question builder
Leasehold question builder
The questions to put to the agent, the seller and the managing agent — before you are committed.
The lease itself
Lease length drives what the property is worth, what it costs to fix, and whether a lender will touch it.
Service charge and what it buys
The published figure is often last year’s. What matters is the trend and what is excluded.
Ground rent
A rising ground rent can make a flat unmortgageable, and the rules have changed more than once.
Major works
A major-works bill lands after completion and falls on whoever owns the flat then.
Who runs the building
The managing agent decides how quickly anything gets fixed, and how much it costs.
Restrictions in the lease
These are the clauses people discover after they move in.
Ticks are kept in this browser only — nothing is sent to us. These are questions to ask, not legal advice; your conveyancer answers them properly once you have the lease and the management pack.
Ask the right leasehold questions early
Build a question list around the tenure and issues you know about. Use it to request evidence before relying on an agent’s summary.
How the tool works
- Select the relevant tenure and property circumstances.
- Work through the generated questions and collect supporting documents.
- Review unresolved points with your conveyancer and keep the budget up to date.
When to use it
Use the checklist before an offer and when legal papers arrive, particularly for flats with shared costs and planned works.
UK coverage and assumptions
Leasehold arrangements and law vary across the UK. A checklist cannot interpret a particular lease or calculate an entitlement to extend it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the current service charge enough for budgeting?
Ask for accounts, the budget, reserve funds and anticipated major works. The current amount alone does not explain future liabilities.
Does the tool give legal advice on my lease?
No. It generates questions from the options selected. Your conveyancer must review the actual lease, title and transaction papers.
Where are my ticks saved?
Checklist ticks stay in local storage in the browser you use. They do not automatically transfer between devices and can be lost if browser data is cleared.