Updated October 2026
In short: The LPE1 is the standard leasehold enquiries form that buyers' solicitors use to check service charges, ground rent, insurance, major works and disputes. A freeholder or managing agent who won't complete it can stall a sale for weeks. Usually the cause is an unpaid fee, missing records or an absent freeholder, and there are practical routes around each.
| Why it's not being completed | What usually works |
|---|---|
| Fee not paid | Ask for the fee upfront and pay it promptly. Agents often won't start until paid. |
| Agent overloaded or slow | Chase in writing with a deadline. Escalate to the agent's complaints procedure and redress scheme. |
| Freeholder absent or untraceable | Supply the information yourself from your own records, and ask your solicitor about indemnity insurance. |
| Dispute between leaseholder and freeholder | Address the underlying issue, such as arrears or breaches, or get specialist advice. |
| Information genuinely unavailable | Provide service charge accounts, demands, insurance schedules and meeting minutes you hold. |
Your rights to information
There's no stand-alone legal duty to fill in the LPE1 form itself, but leaseholders have statutory rights to key information, including service charge summaries and supporting documents, and insurance details. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 also provides for maximum fees and timescales for sale information, once those provisions are brought into force.
Getting your sale back on track
| 1 | Gather what you have Service charge demands and accounts, ground rent receipts, buildings insurance, correspondence about major works. |
| 2 | Formal written request Ask the freeholder or agent to complete the LPE1 by a set date, offering to pay the reasonable fee. |
| 3 | Escalate Use the agent's complaints process and redress scheme, and make formal statutory requests for service charge and insurance information. |
| 4 | Workarounds Your solicitor provides the information you hold and considers indemnity insurance with the buyer's solicitor. |
| 5 | Longer-term fix Consider Right to Manage or collective enfranchisement with other leaseholders. |
How Fraser Bond can help
- Chasing freeholders and managing agents on your behalf
- Assembling a leasehold information pack from your records
- Keeping buyers and solicitors engaged while information is obtained
- Advice on Right to Manage, lease extensions and buying the freehold
- Selling leasehold flats with complicated management histories
Frequently asked questions
Can the freeholder charge for completing the LPE1?
Yes, a fee is usually charged. Future rules under the 2024 Act are intended to cap it.
Can I sell without an LPE1?
It's possible if the buyer's solicitor and lender accept alternative information, sometimes with indemnity insurance, but it's harder.
What if the freeholder can't be found?
Your solicitor can advise on indemnity insurance and, where relevant, tribunal routes for missing landlords.
Related guides
- UK Mortgage Process Explained: Application to Completion
- Top Emergency Loan Options UK - Quick Cash in London Explained
- Section 20 and Refusing to Pay: Leaseholder Rights Explained
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