Extention on leasehold property

[Mammawilson]

Has anyone ever built an extention on a leashold flat?

I own my own ground floor flat/ maisonatte but a housing association owns the leasehold, my flat has its own private garden which we hope to build a small extention onto (less then 4 meters) which would not affect any neighbours as we all have our own private entrances and gardens. I am very new and inexperienced in owning my own home.
Does anyone have any expereince in this, any advice at all?

I have spoke with the housing association and even they are unsure who i would need to speak with first i.e the council or themselves and are going to look into it.

Thanks

You call the HA the leaseholder. So the council is the freeholder, HA has a lease and you have a sub-lease?

You'll need a surrender and re-grant of your lease as you're changing the extent of the flat. Approach the freeholder before you do anything. They, the HA and you will need to be parties to the surrender and re-grant. You'll bee the constent of your lender and possibly the lenders on the other titles.

Sorry for the confusion. The housing association is the freeholder i am the leaseholder

As a freeholder I would want quite a hefty fee for allowing this. The fees would soon all mount up as well. The freeholder will have their own surveyor to come out and check at various intervals that the work is safe. You will be responsible for this cost.

The freeholder has to be certain that you are not damaging the fabric of the building in any way.

Why would you want a fee for allowing this when it ultimately increases the price of the building? I understand the fees for having a surveyor out etc but demanding fees for permission and them being hefty? I don't understand that other than total profiteering!

OP - you will also need something called a deed of variation. I suspect there freeholder would prepare it via their solicitors and you would be responsible for paying. You'd also need to pay to get the title plan updated. We own leasehold but also own part of the freehold and we still have to do that all.

Sorry, I see you own the land you'd be building on already. It would be a deed of variation then.

Check local planning rules with your local authority to see if you need planning permission.

The HA probably won't expect a fee for granting permission but you will have to pay their legal fees and any other costs upfront. They will draft the deed but you'll need your own solicitor to check it. You will also need permission from your lender and the HA from theirs if they have one.