The LPE1 leasehold property enquiries form is the standard questionnaire a seller’s solicitor sends to the freeholder or managing agent to gather the financial, legal, and safety information a buyer needs before purchasing a leasehold property in England or Wales. The managing agent completes the form and returns it with supporting documents. The finished pack gives the buyer’s solicitor a clear picture of ground rent, service charges, insurance, building safety, and any disputes or planned works that will affect the flat after completion.
What the Form Asks About
The LPE1 is organised around the information only the landlord or agent holds.1The Law Society. Leasehold Forms Its main sections cover:
- Ground rent: the amount, payment frequency, who collects it, and whether the lease allows increases (fixed, indexed, or reviewed).
- Service charges: the current year’s estimate, the last three years of accounts, and the accounting period used for reconciliation.
- Reserve or sinking fund: the balance held for long-term repairs and the leaseholder’s share.
- Insurance: insurer, policy number, sum insured, premium, and whether the cover meets standard mortgage-lender requirements.
- Building management: who manages the property, whether a right-to-manage company is in place, and any deed of covenant a new owner must sign.
- Restrictions on pets, subletting, parking, or alterations.
- Fire safety: fire risk assessments, external wall assessments, and any urgent works carried out or planned.
- Disputes and arrears: outstanding service charge arrears, current litigation, and any forfeiture proceedings.
The form also asks whether a Section 20 consultation notice has been served for qualifying works. Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, a landlord must consult leaseholders before carrying out works that would cost any individual leaseholder more than £250 (including VAT) in a single accounting period.2Law.gov.wales. Section 20 Consultation in Relation to Qualifying Works to a Building If a notice has been served but the work has not yet started, the buyer could inherit a significant bill shortly after completion. This is one of the most important items to check.
How the Form Is Ordered and Filled In
The LPE1 is not a free download. It is available only through third-party suppliers licensed by the Law Society to distribute it.1The Law Society. Leasehold Forms Most conveyancing solicitors already hold an account with one of the approved suppliers and order the form as part of the standard leasehold sale process, so a seller rarely needs to buy it directly.
The seller’s solicitor sends the blank form to the freeholder or managing agent with a covering letter identifying the property and the lease. Many larger managing agents accept requests through their own online portals, which speeds things up. The agent then reviews the property’s records, fills in the answers, and attaches supporting documents: typically the last three years of service charge accounts, the buildings insurance schedule, and any Section 20 notices.
Fees and Timing
Managing agents charge an administration fee for compiling the pack. Fees generally range from around £200 to £500, though complex developments or historical records can push the cost higher. The seller normally pays, because the obligation to provide leasehold information sits on the seller’s side. It pays to check the agent’s fee schedule early; some agents will not begin work until payment clears.
Turnaround is usually about two weeks, sometimes stretching to three or four weeks with less responsive agents or in busy periods. Delays here ripple through the entire conveyancing timeline, so most solicitors send the request on day one. Persistent non-response from a managing agent is one of the most common causes of avoidable delay in leasehold sales.
Reviewing the Returned Pack
Once the seller’s solicitor receives the completed LPE1, it goes to the buyer’s solicitor for detailed review. The buyer’s side is looking for anything that could affect the value of the property, trigger unexpected costs, or create problems with the mortgage lender.
Service Charge Arrears and Spending Trends
If the current leaseholder owes arrears, the buyer needs to know before completion, because unpaid charges can sometimes follow the property rather than the person, depending on the lease terms. The three years of accounts also reveal patterns. A sharp upward trajectory, or a year where actual spend significantly exceeded the estimate, signals that budgets may be unreliable.
Reserve Fund Health
A well-funded reserve means money is already set aside for major works. A low or empty reserve means leaseholders will face a large one-off demand when the roof or lift eventually needs replacing. The form shows the current balance and the leaseholder’s proportionate share. If the fund looks thin relative to the age and condition of the building, the buyer’s surveyor should look more closely.
Ground Rent Escalation
Some older leases contain ground rent review clauses that double the rent at fixed intervals, for example every 10 or 25 years. These escalation clauses can make a property unmortgageable if the ground rent is predicted to exceed £1,000 per year in London or £250 elsewhere, because at that point the lease could technically be treated as an assured shorthold tenancy. The LPE1 should make the review mechanism clear, and the buyer’s solicitor should model the figures forward across the remaining term. For leases granted after 30 June 2022, the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 restricts ground rent to a peppercorn (effectively zero) on most new residential leases.3Legislation.gov.uk. Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022
Insurance Gaps
The buildings insurance details must satisfy the mortgage lender. If the sum insured is too low, the excess is unusually high, or terrorism cover is excluded, the lender may refuse to proceed until the policy is upgraded. The buyer’s solicitor checks the figures against the lender’s specific requirements.
Fire Safety and Building Safety Act Questions
After Grenfell and the reforms that followed, the LPE1 was expanded to include specific questions on fire safety: fire risk assessments, external wall assessments, and any urgent fire safety works identified or completed.1The Law Society. Leasehold Forms
The Building Safety Act 2022 triggered further additions. The updated form now asks whether a Leaseholder Deed of Certificate has been served on the landlord in connection with the sale or with remedial works, whether a Landlord’s Certificate has been served, and whether there is any outstanding enforcement action against the landlord or accountable person.4Propertymark. Building Safety Act Requirements Now in Leasehold Enquiry Form These documents relate to the statutory protections that shield qualifying leaseholders from the cost of remediating historical building safety defects.
For taller residential buildings, lenders often request an EWS1 (External Wall System) form. The EWS1 is completed by a qualified fire engineer who assesses the external wall construction and assigns a risk rating. It is not a statutory requirement; it is a commercial decision made by individual lenders.5House of Commons Library. The Cladding External Wall System (EWS) Some lenders now accept alternative evidence instead of a formal EWS1.6UK Finance. Industry Statement on Cladding Confirm with the lender and mortgage broker what will be accepted before chasing an EWS1 that may not be needed.
How the Numbers Feed Completion
The financial data in the LPE1 flows straight into the completion statement. Ground rent and service charges are apportioned between buyer and seller based on the completion date. If the seller has already paid the full year’s service charge in advance, the buyer reimburses the seller for the portion covering the period after completion. If the seller has not yet paid, the buyer takes on the upcoming demand and the completion statement adjusts the price accordingly.
Getting these figures right depends on accurate, up-to-date information in the pack. Where the agent has provided estimated service charge figures rather than final audited accounts, the solicitors work with the best available numbers and sometimes include a retention or undertaking to account for any shortfall once final accounts are issued.
LPE1 Compared With the LPE2
Alongside the LPE1, the Law Society publishes a companion form called the LPE2. While the LPE1 collects raw data from the managing agent, the LPE2 is a summary designed to present that information to the buyer in a readable format, covering the costs of purchase, regular payments during ownership, and any additional planned payments to expect.1The Law Society. Leasehold Forms Not every transaction uses an LPE2, but when it appears it gives the buyer a clear overview without having to piece the picture together from the fuller LPE1 pack and its attachments.