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Why would our neighbours solicitor need our contact number?

87 replies

user1471867483 · 17/12/2025 05:04

My mum owns the freehold of the property next door. She's 82 and has lived in our freehold house for 61 years. The leaseholders next door are moving and they slapped this lpe1 form in our hands to fill in with no solicitor cover letter, nothing. We haven't a clue what to do! I'm currently unemployed and mum being an OAP is on her old age pension. We cannot afford any legal fees. Then they're asking us if it's ok they give mum's contact details to their solicitor and I said of course not, as it's confidential! Why do they want to give out mums number and what can we do in this situation? I read it's not compulsory to fill in the lpe1 form anyway.

OP posts:
pilates · 17/12/2025 19:25

What solicitor would recommend you buy a leasehold property that is not being properly maintained by the freeholder. Definitely not, especially if the purchaser is requiring a mortgage. No lender would lend on the current setup. Firstly, see if you can find the lease in your mum’s paperwork or download a copy from the land registry. Also, has your mum got mental capacity? Then get some legal advice asap.

LookingforMaryPoppins · 17/12/2025 19:32

user1471867483 · 17/12/2025 05:04

My mum owns the freehold of the property next door. She's 82 and has lived in our freehold house for 61 years. The leaseholders next door are moving and they slapped this lpe1 form in our hands to fill in with no solicitor cover letter, nothing. We haven't a clue what to do! I'm currently unemployed and mum being an OAP is on her old age pension. We cannot afford any legal fees. Then they're asking us if it's ok they give mum's contact details to their solicitor and I said of course not, as it's confidential! Why do they want to give out mums number and what can we do in this situation? I read it's not compulsory to fill in the lpe1 form anyway.

This is a standard form so nothing unusual. It is common for managing agents etc. to charge for completing this. Maybe request that your mum's reasonably legal expenses are paid and let her own solicitor complete (subject to the leaseholders agreeing to indemnify her for her costs).

Isinglass20 · 17/12/2025 20:51

Your DM must have had a solicitor to create a lease for the property which would have been registered with its own classified title number at HMLR.

If there is no lease and registered title then you need a competent solicitor that is one who deals with titles to land to see if it is in fact a lease.

It seems that this was an agreement to let.

If so then building work undertaken without planning permits and your DM consented without question will fall on your DM as it is her property.

This needs looking into urgently not least whether the tenants are legally entitled to sell and benefit from the profit. This could be title theft.

HMLR will want to know whether a lease or a letting agreement why there was no original profit from sale of a lease or rental income if a letting agreement.

This is why you must find a solicitor who specialises in leasehold not some hedgerow solicitor looking to make money.

MinnieMountain · 17/12/2025 20:58

What are you on about @Isinglass20 ? Your post makes no sense.

OP, I think the conflicting advice you've had here shows that your DM needs to pay an actual solicitor.

Isinglass20 · 17/12/2025 22:27

You’ve answered your own question. Poster says not aware of existence of a lease and if there was one the DD by a solicitor would search to check whether the sellers were entitled to sell that is if a lease was registered at HMLR.

Also HMLR would register the amount the freeholder sold the lease for. Just takes a phone call to HMLR.

Its a tenancy or rental agreement unfortunately mislaid/lost.

MinnieMountain · 18/12/2025 05:06

Isinglass20 · 17/12/2025 22:27

You’ve answered your own question. Poster says not aware of existence of a lease and if there was one the DD by a solicitor would search to check whether the sellers were entitled to sell that is if a lease was registered at HMLR.

Also HMLR would register the amount the freeholder sold the lease for. Just takes a phone call to HMLR.

Its a tenancy or rental agreement unfortunately mislaid/lost.

Where has she said she's not aware of the existence of a lease? She's clearly said that the neighbours have a lease, which is the whole point of her OP. There's no suggestion of a tenancy agreement FFS.

OP has also said the deeds date from 1929!

NavyTurtle · 18/12/2025 12:51

user1471867483 · 17/12/2025 05:04

My mum owns the freehold of the property next door. She's 82 and has lived in our freehold house for 61 years. The leaseholders next door are moving and they slapped this lpe1 form in our hands to fill in with no solicitor cover letter, nothing. We haven't a clue what to do! I'm currently unemployed and mum being an OAP is on her old age pension. We cannot afford any legal fees. Then they're asking us if it's ok they give mum's contact details to their solicitor and I said of course not, as it's confidential! Why do they want to give out mums number and what can we do in this situation? I read it's not compulsory to fill in the lpe1 form anyway.

Please tell me that your mother has insured the property . Quote - if you own the freehold of a property, especially a block of flats or a house you let out, you are responsible for insuring the building's structure (freeholder/buildings insurance), covering risks like fire, flood, and storms, often recovering costs from leaseholders via service charges; however, leaseholders still need their own contents insurance and sometimes specific landlord insurance if they rent it out.
So if there was a fire she would be responsible for the rebuild costs.

Before you continue to Google Search

https://www.google.com/search?q=buildings+insurance&rlz=1C1GCEB_enIE959IE959&oq=if+you+own+the+freehold+on+a+property%2C+do+you+insure+it%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRiPAjIHCAQQIRiPAtIBCTEyNDc0ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&mstk=AUtExfCSRSfI_zP7-4BpfbSkC8drsnybL3boz1WCL7R_SXrszEX1LoPcT1lmhDCGHUZKJw469-2hxeIuytFw-GRhxY51NexGmQ3jkUz5hhGE553rgjfoRR1s8G6G1AiEkGUsEETyOUtCVHEleD3mEBL5HCvljLZsOs64yF_bxspx7SuBt15UHgHUaKjQa7YwWlXZlqEV-kqkfaEm9kV8gmXhD2cixNkdLluo0hnvaguwGMXTInhx5SIQ6fmO9KCzkEEeMpQMGW1ThPTzJk43u-USI_-T&csui=3&ved=2ahUKEwi_o5OmlseRAxWw1AIHHZcTAqQQgK4QegQIARAB

NavyTurtle · 18/12/2025 12:52

user1471867483 · 17/12/2025 05:25

My mum doesn't collect anything and only insures her own home. The deeds go back to 1929. The neighbours have also drafted a letter asking us to sign agreements retrospectively when we didn't agree to anything they've done building-wise to their property.
Also, there is no way we can fill this lpe1 form either as we haven't the foggiest about it.

Please tell me that your mother has insured the property . Quote - if you own the freehold of a property, especially a block of flats or a house you let out, you are responsible for insuring the building's structure (freeholder/buildings insurance), covering risks like fire, flood, and storms, often recovering costs from leaseholders via service charges; however, leaseholders still need their own contents insurance and sometimes specific landlord insurance if they rent it out.
So if there was a fire she would be responsible for the rebuild costs.

Before you continue to Google Search

https://www.google.com/search?q=buildings+insurance&rlz=1C1GCEB_enIE959IE959&oq=if+you+own+the+freehold+on+a+property%2C+do+you+insure+it%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRiPAjIHCAQQIRiPAtIBCTEyNDc0ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&mstk=AUtExfCSRSfI_zP7-4BpfbSkC8drsnybL3boz1WCL7R_SXrszEX1LoPcT1lmhDCGHUZKJw469-2hxeIuytFw-GRhxY51NexGmQ3jkUz5hhGE553rgjfoRR1s8G6G1AiEkGUsEETyOUtCVHEleD3mEBL5HCvljLZsOs64yF_bxspx7SuBt15UHgHUaKjQa7YwWlXZlqEV-kqkfaEm9kV8gmXhD2cixNkdLluo0hnvaguwGMXTInhx5SIQ6fmO9KCzkEEeMpQMGW1ThPTzJk43u-USI_-T&csui=3&ved=2ahUKEwi_o5OmlseRAxWw1AIHHZcTAqQQgK4QegQIARAB

Collaborate · 18/12/2025 13:23

NavyTurtle · 18/12/2025 12:52

Please tell me that your mother has insured the property . Quote - if you own the freehold of a property, especially a block of flats or a house you let out, you are responsible for insuring the building's structure (freeholder/buildings insurance), covering risks like fire, flood, and storms, often recovering costs from leaseholders via service charges; however, leaseholders still need their own contents insurance and sometimes specific landlord insurance if they rent it out.
So if there was a fire she would be responsible for the rebuild costs.

The owner of a freehold title to land that is subject to a long lease (likely 999 years) has no obligation to insure the property. If there is any obligation to insure it likely faqlls upon the owner of the leasehold title.

MinnieMountain · 18/12/2025 13:46

Not necessarily @Collaborate it depends on what the lease says. However, most lenders aren't bothered if the lessee insures when the freeholder does, so long as someone insures the house!

Nerdippy · 18/12/2025 15:10

OP, you and your mother need to put your big girl pants on and start dealing with this, rather than burying your heads in the sand and trying to explain your way out of this with the “old age” and “am unemployed” excuses. If your mother cannot deal with this, you will have to on her behalf, and being unemployed will surely mean you will have plenty of time to do so.

When a leasehold property is being sold, the buyer’s solicitor has to legally ask for responses to leasehold enquiries. This is usually done with a standardised form called the LPE1. This form is meant to cover all forms of leasehold property and is mostly applicable to flats/apartments, rather than leasehold houses.

As you are being asked to answer questions regarding the sale of a leasehold house (not a flat) for which you are the freeholder, a lot of the questions will not apply to you.

It would, however, be in your best interests if you could look at the form question by question and answer as best you can the questions which do apply to you. If many of the questions are not applicable, then state Not Applicable.

You would be well advised to obtain a copy of the Lease and the title documents (both leasehold and freehold) for the neighbour’s property to see what it says about who is responsible for what. It will also state the start date of the Lease and how long the term is. It might have been for 999 years, making the property almost freehold. If this is the case, it might be advisable to offer to sell the freehold at an appropriate price. You would need to instruct a solicitor experienced in leasehold to carry out the process for you.

The buyer’s solicitor will not visit the property, so they have to rely on the answers you give. They don’t know if you collect ground rent, service charges, insure the property or whether the buyer has to enter into a Deed of Covenant to agree to any covenants in the lease. Therefore, as the freeholder, you should answer them.

While it isn’t compulsory to complete the form, the sale is likely to fall through if you don’t, as lenders won’t lend unless the questions are answered. Lenders won’t want to be financially liable if a previous leaseholder owed money for not paying his service charges. While that is obviously not the case here, the lender doesn’t know that. Lack of answers will slow the conveyancing down considerably.

If you want to be obstructive/unhelpful because the neighbour has been obstructive/unhelpful to you, then the sale will go nowhere and you’ll be stuck with these neighbours for a long time. Surely, you’d be pleased to see the back of them?

You have consented to the work they’ve done on the property, because you didn’t object when they started the work. That was the time to object and to force them into a Party Wall Agreement.

You have had a problem with water ingress and damaged steps, so maybe use this to get them to pay up for the work, before you agree to complete the form. Paying you money to sort it yourself will be a lot quicker than expecting them to actually do the work at this time of year and to a decent standard.

I suggest you take on board all the (free) advice that posters have given you in their own time and start taking responsibility for being the freeholder that you are.

As for not wanting to give your name or contact details to the buyer's solicitor, due to confidentiality issues, you are being ridiculous. As a freeholder of the neighbour's property, you are a party to the transaction and, as such, they have every right to contact you for information pertaining to that property. I would expect your details are stated on the Freehold Title Register held at Land Registry anyway.

user1471867483 · 21/12/2025 14:38

I want to express my gratitude for all the responses and support on this forum. Your insights and advice have been invaluable in navigating this situation.
I wanted to provide you with an update. Our leasehold neighbours recently presented us with a letter requesting us to sign off works that were done without our permission - essentially, they were asking us to falsely confirm their unauthorised actions. Needless to say, we have declined their request and will not be signing any such documents.
Their solicitor had requested a copy of this letter from us (she got in touch with us about the LPE1 form - hence how we got talking), which I promptly provided, but I have not heard back from them since.
That's the latest.

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