London local authority lease extension costs: what leaseholders really pay

If you are extending your lease with a London council, one of the most common questions is:

“How much are the landlord’s costs?”

This guide explains the typical landlord (freeholder) costs payable when extending your lease with a local authority such as Islington, Hackney or Southwark Council, based on real cases handled in 2025 and 2026 by Peppercorn Law.

This information is set out to help leaseholders plan and budget for what can be an expensive process.

Council	Legal fees	Valuation fees	Admin fees
Ealing	£2,340	£650	£150
Hackney	£1,540	£750	£0
Islington	£1,200	£362	£0
Lambeth	£1,600	£840	£265 + VAT (if new lease plan required)
Southwark	£1,291.20	£1,239	£380.10
Wandsworth	£1,500	£1,000	£0

Leaseholders searching for Islington lease extension costs, Hackney lease extension costs or Southwark council lease extension costs should be aware that these figures relate only to the landlord’s costs payable under the Leasehold Reform Act 1993. They do not include the lease premium, the leaseholder’s own legal and valuation costs, or Land Registry fees.

What landlord costs are payable on a lease extension?

When you extend your lease under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, you are usually responsible for paying the freeholder’s reasonable costs, which is a general description rather than a fixed amount, and includes:

• Legal fees (serving a counter notice, producing the draft new lease, completion)

• Valuation fees (to advise the freeholder on the premium to charge you)

• Administrative charges (not always payable, but things like new plan fees)

Please note that landlord costs are only one part of the overall cost of extending a lease although this element can be trickiest part to pin down before you start the process, and is often a source of concern for our clients.

Freeholder legal and valuation costs are payable in addition to:

• The lease extension premium

• Your own legal fees (for which we offer a fixed fee, to reduce the uncertainty of this element)

• Your own valuation costs if you instruct a valuer

• Land Registry fees to register the change to the leasehold title

Further information for those researching the process

For more information on how to budget for the total costs of the entire process, many flat owners find this article helpful

For details of timings of the s.42 notice process in general, see our lease extension guidance page 

Or if you are ready to proceed with resolving your short lease, visit our fixed fee lease extension service page.

Typical council landlord costs (London)

Below are typical ranges based on cases handled with London local authorities in the past 12 months.

Ealing Council lease extension costs

Legal fees £2,340

Valuation fees: £650

 Administration fees: £150

Hackney Council lease extension costs

Leaseholders extending with London Borough of Hackney often find that costs can vary depending on whether external solicitors are instructed.

Legal fees £,1540

Valuation fees: £750

Administration fees: £nil

Islington Council lease extension costs

Legal fees £1,200

Valuation fees: £362

 Administration fees: £nil

Lambeth Council lease extension costs

Legal fees £1600

Valuation fees: £840

 Administration fees: £265 plus VAT if new lease plan is required

Southwark Council lease extension costs

Legal fees £1,291.2

Valuation fees: £1239

 Administration fees: £380.10

Wandsworth Council lease extension costs

Legal fees £1500

Valuation fees: £1000

 Administration fees: £nil

Why do landlord costs vary between councils?

Even though landlord costs are governed by the same legislation, the approach taken by each London borough will differ and there is no one rule which sets out the pounds and pence figure that a freeholder can recover from you.

Key factors include:

• Whether an in house legal team or external solicitors are used

• Whether the council grants the extension by deed of variation or requires a completely new lease to replace an old right to buy lease

• The complexity of the lease and title, for example if there is a management company or headlease involved

  
  

This is why two seemingly similar flats can have very different landlord cost outcomes and it is something of a lottery rather than an equation based on logic. It is also worth noting that the time a lease extension takes will vary significantly depending on which borough your flat is within.

An experienced hand at local authority lease extensions

As Ricky Coleman, solicitor of over a decade of leasehold experience explains:

“Peppercorn Law offers a service that is designed to be as frictionless for our clients as possible, drawing on years of experience of negotiating lease extensions with local authority legal teams, which all have their own idiosyncrasies .

Important point to note

The figures in this guide are based on lease extension matters personally handled during 2025/26 and they are provided as a general guide only to typical landlord costs. Each case can vary and you must always have additional funds ready in case costs are higher than expected.

Need help with a local authority lease extension?

If you are dealing with a London council freeholder and want a clear, fixed-fee approach, Peppercorn Law specialises in acting for leaseholders.

Visit our lease extension service page 

Or read our lease extension guidance to research further