Lease Extension Tribunal Decisions Explained

Published tribunal decisions reveal a great deal about how lease extension premiums are determined in contested cases, including:

• • Premiums awarded for comparable properties.
• • Valuation assumptions accepted or rejected by the panel.
• • Treatment of marriage value where the lease is below 80 years.
• • Relativity disputes between the parties' valuers.
• • Ground rent assumptions and capitalisation rates.

Together, these decisions create a body of evidence that valuers and other professionals often consider when forming a view on a reasonable premium.

Not every published decision is relevant to every lease extension. Comparability typically depends on:

• • Remaining lease length — particularly whether the lease is above or below 80 years (see our 80 year lease rule guide).
• • Property value at the valuation date.
• • Ground rent profile, including escalation provisions.
• • Location and local market characteristics.
• • Building characteristics — flat vs house, age, tenure structure.

Matching on these factors is what makes comparable decisions useful evidence rather than anecdote.

Online calculators have their place. They apply a formula to a small set of inputs and produce an estimate quickly, which can be a helpful starting point.

A tribunal decision is different in nature. It reflects a real dispute, involving a real property, where both sides' valuations were tested by an independent panel. The figure the tribunal arrived at carries the weight of that scrutiny.

Calculators answer "what does the formula produce?" Comparable tribunal decisions answer "what did an independent panel decide was reasonable in a similar case?" — a more directly useful question when assessing a quote.

• • Typical premiums by remaining lease length.
• • How marriage value disputes have been resolved.
• • Regional variations in valuation inputs and outcomes.
• • Outcomes of contested valuations where parties disagreed on key inputs.
• • Differences between freeholders' initial offers and the figures tribunals ultimately determined.

LeaseIntel is a benchmarking platform, not a solicitor or valuation service. The product is built around tribunal data:

• • Thousands of First-tier Tribunal decisions analysed and structured.
• • Comparable case matching on unexpired term, property value, ground rent and geography.
• • Benchmarking that places a quoted premium against the distribution of comparable outcomes.
• • Independent information — LeaseIntel does not act for freeholders or leaseholders and earns no commission on any extension.