Lease Extension Solicitors for Reading

Extending Your Lease in Reading:

More than 570 leasehold properties changed hands in Reading over the past year, a third of all property sales in the town and above the England average of around 20%. Leasehold flats sold for an average of around £226,000 (median £222,500), and the busiest areas for leasehold sales were RG1 (the town centre), RG2 (Whitley and Reading south), RG30 (West Reading and Tilehurst) and RG6 (Earley and Lower Earley).

Much of Reading’s leasehold stock sits in apartment blocks built from the 1980s onwards, many of which are now reaching the lease lengths at which extending becomes significantly more expensive. If you’re a leaseholder in this Berkshire town, look no further than this guide for all the information you need about extending your lease in Reading.

• Population of Reading: Approximately 182,900 (ONS mid-2024 estimate, the latest available).
• Average House Price: According to the UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry/ONS), the average house price in Reading was £345,000 in April 2026.
• Suburbs in Reading: Beansheaf Farm, Calcot, Caversham, Caversham Heights, Caversham Park Village, Coley, Coley Park, East Reading, Fords Farm, Green Park, Holybrook, Katesgrove, Little Heath, Lower Caversham, Lower Earley, Newtown, Purley on Thames, Southcote, Tilehurst, West Reading, Whitley Wood, Whitley.
• Local Authority: The local authority of Reading is the Reading Borough Council.

Lease Extensions in Reading:

Qualifying Leaseholders in Reading have a statutory right to extend their lease by an additional 90 years via the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.

The Lease Extension Company acts for residential leaseholders only. We specialise in residential lease extensions and do not handle commercial lease renewals.

At the LEC, we will support you throughout the process, providing one of the country’s leading specialist RICS surveyors and specialist lease extension solicitors to undertake your lease extension, and our dedicated client service team to assist you throughout the process.

The Lease Extension Process

Look below for an overview of the statutory lease extension procedure.

• Eligibility Check
• Valuation
• Serving the Section 42 Notice
• Receipt of the Section 45 Counter Offer
• Negotiation
• Agreement of Terms
• Registration of your new lease with HM Land Registry

For further details, please visit our ‘How Long Will My Lease Take?’ article for more information about each step.

Serving the Section 42 Tenant’s Notice

Before your Section 42 notice is drafted, one of our firms of specialist chartered RICS surveyors will value your property for the purpose of the lease extension and identify the likely ‘premium’ (the price of your lease extension) you will pay your freeholder. For more information on the valuation process for the purpose of a lease extension please see here.

Identifying Your Competent Landlord

Our specialist lease extension solicitors for Reading will also identify the ‘competent landlord’ whose interest in the property is long enough to grant your 90-year lease extension.

Sometimes, this will be the direct landlord or housing management to whom you pay your service charge or ground rent. However, the competent landlord is often the freeholder of the building.

The Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 requires leaseholders to serve a Tenant’s Notice (Section 42 notice) on the ‘competent landlord’.

The Section 42 notice commences the lease extension and must include specific legal information. This is a technical legal notice, and it must be correctly drafted and validated to ensure your lease extension is deemed valid.

At The Lease Extension Company, we work with the leading specialist legal firms in this specific area of law, ensuring that your notice is drafted and reviewed by leading experts in this field. The Section 42 notice will be sent to you for approval before it is forwarded to the solicitors, who will serve the notice to the Freeholder on your behalf.

Read on to find the main freeholders in Reading.

Key Freeholders in Reading:

One of the main freeholders in Reading is Reading Borough Council, which owns approximately 7,000 homes in the borough, and other key freehold interests include Sovereign Network Group, London & Quadrant and Reading Homechoice partner providers.

Finding Your Freeholder:

The details of your Freeholder will be cited in your original lease. If you’re missing this document, you can get a copy of your leaseholder agreement by contacting HM Land Registry for a small fee. As a client of The Lease Extension Company, we will arrange this for you.

How Much Will Your Lease Extension Cost?

Your premium is calculated based on the following factors:

• The value of your property.
• The amount of ground rent you pay and how much it increases over time.
• The number of years remaining on your lease.

The cost can also depend on your route to obtain your lease extension.

• Informal Lease Extensions: Costs are determined and agreed upon directly with your freeholder.
• Statutory Lease Extensions: You are responsible for the valuation and legal costs of both you and your freeholder, plus the premium for the additional years on your lease.

If you’re curious about costs, use our Lease Extension Calculator to estimate your premium.

About Our Fixed Fee Service

At The Lease Extension Company, we take a straightforward approach to this niche area of property law. We develop a detailed plan covering all stages, legal requirements, and expected costs to do this. Your professional legal and valuation costs are combined into a simple fixed fee, so you know what to expect from the start of the process.

You’ll also receive the support of a skilled surveyor and lease extension solicitor to ensure you’re not paying a penny more for your lease extension (premium) than necessary. View a costed example of a Reading lease extension within our case studies.

Start Your Lease Extension in Reading Today.

Are you considering extending your lease on your Reading property? You can count on The Lease Extension Company to support you from your initial consultation to the final HM Land Registry title.

Simply get a quote or arrange a free consultation with our experts by filling out our handy online form, calling us on 0800 098 2770 or emailing [email protected]. We’d be delighted to help.