Short answer
About one in four people asking us for a purchase quote were buying a leasehold home (167 of 670, website quote requests, 2 Sep–29 Oct 2026). Each of those purchases usually involves an LPE1, the Law Society’s leasehold form, obtained by the seller’s side. The landlord or managing agent answers it, covering service charges, ground rent, insurance and building safety.
On this page
- LPE1 form at a glance
- Who fills in the LPE1, and who pays for it?
- What does the LPE1 ask the landlord about?
- How is the LPE1 different from the TA7, the FME1 and a management pack?
- What changed on the LPE1 in January 2023, and what is still to come?
- Buying a flat: which LPE1 replies should make you pause?
- How many of our quote requests involved a leasehold home?
- Does the LPE1 work the same way for a flat in Wales?
- What do our fees look like on a leasehold sale or purchase?
- What happens next
LPE1 form at a glance
| Full name | Leasehold Property Enquiries (LPE1) |
|---|---|
| Publisher | The Law Society, with conveyancing, property-management and landlord trade bodies |
| Last updated | January 2023 (Building Safety Act certificate questions added) |
| Who answers it | The landlord, or the managing agent or management company acting for it |
| Who asks for it | On a sale, the seller’s conveyancer, so the replies can go to the buyer’s conveyancer |
| Who pays | The seller, at the price the landlord or managing agent sets |
| Required by law? | No. It is standard practice on a leasehold sale |
| Where to get it | Through form suppliers to conveyancers, not on GOV.UK |
Who fills in the LPE1, and who pays for it?
Not you. The LPE1 goes to whoever runs the building: the landlord (often called the freeholder), or the managing agent or management company that deals with it for them. They hold the accounts, the insurance and the building safety papers, so they answer.
If you are selling, you pay for it. On our selling a house page we say: “The buyer’s solicitor will want information from the freeholder or managing agent about service charges, ground rent and the building, so we ask for it as early as possible. The freeholder or managing agent sets the price of that information, not us.” Your quote mentions that charge but leaves it out of the total, because they set the price.
If you are buying, you do not order the LPE1. Your conveyancer reads the replies the seller’s side sends and asks further questions where an answer is missing or unclear.
No law yet sets a fee limit or a deadline for the LPE1: the 2024 Act allows one, but that part is not in force (see the dated table below). Your lease may also govern what can be charged, so we read it alongside the replies.
What does the LPE1 ask the landlord about?
The form asks the landlord or agent to answer questions, and to send copies of documents, on the subjects below. We group them by what they mean for you. This is a summary in our words, not the form itself.
| Subject | What the answers tell a buyer | What a buyer’s conveyancer looks for |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs the building | Who the landlord, managing agent and any management or right to manage company are, and who to contact | Whether the buyer must also join a management company or get a share or membership certificate |
| Ground rent | How much is due, when, and whether the seller is up to date | Arrears, and how the rent can rise under the lease |
| Service charge | This year’s budget, recent accounts, and whether the seller owes anything | Arrears and any year-end balancing charge still to come |
| Reserve fund | Whether money is set aside for large repairs | A small fund next to an old building or planned work |
| Major works | Work planned or under way, and any bills on the way | Costs that could land on the buyer after completion |
| Buildings insurance | Who insures the building and on what terms | Whether a buyer and lender can see the policy |
| Building safety (England) | Whether a leaseholder deed of certificate or a landlord’s certificate has been served, and any enforcement action against the landlord | Gaps in the papers for a building at least 11 metres high or with at least 5 storeys |
| After you buy | Who deals with the deed of covenant and the notices of the purchase and mortgage, and their fees | The landlord’s charges a buyer pays on completion |
| Lease rules | Restrictions in the lease, such as on pets or parking | Rules that clash with how the buyer plans to live there |
The replies often arrive as part of a larger bundle, the management pack. Many landlords and agents also attach copies of the accounts, the insurance schedule and the building safety certificates. A buyer’s conveyancer reads the replies against the lease, because the lease, not the form, sets what can be charged.
How is the LPE1 different from the TA7, the FME1 and a management pack?
Four documents with similar names turn up on a leasehold sale. They come from different people and answer different questions.
| Document | Who completes it | What it covers | When you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| LPE1 leasehold property enquiries | The landlord or managing agent | The building, the charges, the insurance and building safety, from the landlord’s records | Leasehold flats and houses |
| TA7 leasehold information form | The seller | What the seller knows: charges paid, disputes, notices received | Leasehold sales, sent with the TA6 |
| FME1 freehold management enquiries | The management company or its agent | Estate charges and rules on a freehold home with shared areas | Freehold homes on a managed estate |
| Management pack | The landlord or managing agent | A bundle: usually the LPE1 replies plus copies of accounts, budgets, insurance and certificates | Leasehold sales |
If you are selling, you fill in the TA7 yourself, with the property information form (TA6). Our TA6 guide explains that form. The LPE1 is the one you wait for. See all conveyancing forms.
What changed on the LPE1 in January 2023, and what is still to come?
Copies of the LPE1 found online are often older versions without the questions on the Building Safety Act certificates. Here is what has changed, and what Parliament has passed but not yet switched on, as checked on 29 October 2026.
| Date | What happened | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan 2022 | Updated LPE1 went live, asking whether a fire safety or external wall assessment has been done and about any urgent works that follow | England and Wales (form) |
| 28 Jun 2022 | Building Safety Act leaseholder protections came into effect: buildings at least 11 metres high or with at least 5 storeys | England |
| 9 Jan 2023 | Updated LPE1 launched. New questions and document requests on the leaseholder deed of certificate, the landlord’s certificate, enforcement action against the landlord, and who deals with the deed of covenant | England and Wales (form); the building safety questions matter for buildings in England |
| 24 May 2024 | Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 became law. Section 67 lets the government set what a seller can ask the landlord for, a deadline to reply, and limits on the charge | England and Wales |
| 17 Jun 2026 | The Welsh Government consulted on the Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026, including limits on what leaseholders can be charged for remediation work. Consultation closed 7 Sep 2026 | Wales |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Section 67 is still not in force, and no fee limit or deadline has been set | England and Wales |
Until section 67 is switched on, the landlord or agent sets both the price and the time it takes. We check this table regularly.
Buying a flat: which LPE1 replies should make you pause?
Most replies are routine. These are the ones a buyer’s conveyancer raises before exchange:
- Money owed by the seller. Unpaid service charge or ground rent is usually cleared on completion, out of the sale price.
- Big work coming. Planned repairs or major works not yet billed can land on whoever owns the flat when the bill arrives.
- Missing building safety papers. In a building in England at least 11 metres high or with at least 5 storeys, the replies should say whether the certificates have been served.
- Landlord’s charges on completion. Buyers usually also pay the landlord’s or managing agent’s fees for registering the purchase and any mortgage (notice of transfer, notice of charge, deed of covenant, certificate of compliance). We confirm them once we see the lease.
- Blank or “not known” answers. We send further questions to the seller’s side.
More on what we check when you buy.
How many of our quote requests involved a leasehold home?
Our quote form asks whether the home is freehold or leasehold, and for a leasehold flat, whether the building has 5 or more storeys. Totals only, website quote requests, 2 Sep–29 Oct 2026.
| Quote type | Leasehold | 5 or more storeys (of those who answered) |
|---|---|---|
| Buying | 167 of 670 (about 25%) | 30 of 167 (about 20%) |
| Selling | 35 of 143 (about 25%) | 10 of 34 (about 30%) |
| Buying and selling (the home being bought) | 12 of 141 | Under 10: not shown |
| Remortgage | Under 10: not shown | Not asked |
Across sales and purchases, 214 of 954 requests were for a leasehold home (about one in five). Each of those usually meets an LPE1. In the taller buildings, the building safety answers carry extra weight.
Does the LPE1 work the same way for a flat in Wales?
Yes, the form is the same. The Law Society forms are used across England and Wales, and the landlord or agent answers the same questions. What differs is the building safety law behind some of the answers. The Building Safety Act leaseholder protections, and the certificates the LPE1 asks about, apply to buildings in England. Wales has its own law, the Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026, and the Welsh Government consulted in 2026 on limiting what leaseholders can be charged for remediation work. Our “Dealing with Building Safety Act” fee is never charged on a property in Wales. The section 67 changes, once switched on, cover both countries.
43 of the 670 purchase quote requests we received were for a home in Wales.
What do our fees look like on a leasehold sale or purchase?
Leasehold homes are priced on a higher scale, which already includes Dealing with Leasehold. Our leasehold prices by band are on our fees page.
“Dealing with Building Safety Act” is added for a flat in a building of five or more storeys or 11 metres or more in height (the Building Safety Act threshold) in England, on a purchase or a sale.
The LPE1 or management pack charge is set by the landlord or managing agent. Your quote mentions that charge but leaves it out of the total, because they set the price. Buyers usually also pay the landlord’s or managing agent’s fees for registering the purchase and any mortgage. We confirm them once we see the lease.
We give you a written, itemised quote before you instruct us.
In Wales: The LPE1 is the same form in Wales. The Building Safety Act leaseholder protections and the certificates it asks about apply to buildings in England; Wales has its own Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026.
What happens next
Legally reviewed by Shah Ali, Senior Partner, on 30 October 2026.
Last updated 30 October 2026.
Sources
- CILEx, Launch of new versions of LPE1, LPE2 and FME1 forms (22 November 2021), checked 29 October 2026
- Building Safety Act 2022, section 117, checked 29 October 2026
- Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, section 67, checked 29 October 2026
- Welsh Government, Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026 consultation, checked 29 October 2026
- The Law Society, Transaction forms, checked 29 October 2026
- The Law Society, Leasehold forms, checked 29 October 2026
- The Law Society, Updated property forms launched (press release, January 2023), checked 29 October 2026
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Waterstone Chambers LLP, trading as Waterstone Legal, is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 605949) and CQS accredited. Not happy with our service? See how to complain.