Selling a warehouse conversion? Get your leasehold paperwork ready

Selling a warehouse conversion in Shad Thames or Borough? Before arranging photographs and viewings, check that you have the details of the lease, the running costs and any work planned for the building. These details can affect a buyer’s budget and mortgage options as much as the flat itself.

Shad Thames’ converted warehouses are a distinctive part of the local property market, with original brickwork, beams and riverside settings. But buyers also take on obligations relating to the wider building. A well-presented flat does not answer questions about an approaching roof repair or a ground rent review.

Getting the paperwork together early helps you identify issues while there is still time to seek advice. It is a useful first step in preparing your property for sale. It cannot prevent every sale from falling through, but it can reduce avoidable surprises after an offer.

Start with your lease

Find a copy of your lease, any deeds of variation and any previous lease extension documents. Ask your solicitor to confirm the remaining term. The original lease term is not the same as the number of years remaining today, and buying the flat did not restart the clock.

Check the ground rent separately from the service charge. Check the current amount, when it is payable and the wording of any review clause. A modest charge today does not show a buyer what they may owe later.

Check what is included in your title. If you are selling with parking, a storage space or access to a terrace, establish whether it forms part of the lease, is held under a separate agreement or is simply available for shared use. Give your agent the documents so the particulars describe it accurately.

If you own a share of the freehold, provide the relevant ownership or company paperwork too. The flat can still have a lease, though its length needs to be checked.

Gather service charge records rather than a single figure

Your buyer will need to understand what the service charge covers and whether the latest bill reflects normal expenditure. Collect:

  • The current annual budget and your latest demand.
  • Recent accounts, ideally covering the last three years where available.
  • Details of balancing charges, arrears or disputed amounts.
  • Information about the reserve or sinking fund and your contributions.

In a conversion, ask who is responsible for the roof, external brickwork, windows and shared areas. Responsibility is set out in the lease; do not assume it based on who uses a particular feature.

If the building has lifts, communal heating or other shared services, get up-to-date information on their costs. Where commercial premises share the building, ask how costs are divided between residential and commercial occupiers.

A reserve fund can help meet future expenditure, but its existence does not mean that all planned work is fully funded. Your solicitor can ask for the relevant figures and commitments.

Find out what major works are being discussed

Keep letters, consultation notices and meeting minutes relating to repairs or improvements. For a warehouse conversion, useful questions include whether roof repairs, external redecoration, brickwork repairs or lift replacement are being considered. These are things to check rather than assume.

Pass on any Section 20 notices you have. These are the formal consultation documents used for certain works and long-term agreements. Consultation is generally required where any leaseholder’s contribution exceeds £250, although exceptions and dispensation can apply.

Ask the managing agent to distinguish between work under discussion, work with a cost estimate, and work already contracted. An early estimate is not a final bill.

If work may take place during the sale, your solicitor should advise how any liability should be dealt with in the contract. Do not promise a buyer that you will cover a bill before you understand the amount and the proposed arrangement.

Arrange the management pack with your solicitor

Your own paperwork is useful, but it does not replace the formal management information a buyer’s solicitor will usually request.

The management pack normally includes replies to the LPE1 Leasehold Property Enquiries form, along with information on service charges, ground rent, insurance, planned works and arrears. Depending on the ownership structure, information may be needed from more than one organisation.

As soon as you decide to sell, ask your solicitor who supplies the pack, what it costs and when to order it. Ask how long the response is likely to take and whether updated information will be needed if the sale takes longer than anticipated. Keep a record of requests and payments.

Check what has arrived against what was requested. A pack that omits the latest accounts or leaves a major works enquiry unanswered can still generate further questions. LEASE explains the role of the management pack.

Include alteration and building safety documents

If the flat’s layout, flooring or windows have changed, find any landlord consent required by the lease, together with relevant planning and building regulations documents. If something is missing, speak to your solicitor before contacting a third party or trying to arrange retrospective consent.

Ask the managing agent what building safety information is available and share relevant documents with your solicitor. Depending on the building and your buyer’s lender, more evidence may be required. A warehouse conversion does not automatically need an EWS1 form, and its age does not always determine whether one is needed.

Check a short lease before selling

If the lease is approaching 80 years, get specialist advice as soon as possible. Under the current statutory valuation rules, marriage value can add to extension costs when the term is 80 years or fewer. The 2024 Act provides for its removal, but that change was not in force at the time of writing.

The two-year ownership wait has been removed. That does not make an extension free or immediate, and it does not change a buyer’s mortgage requirements.

Bring the paperwork to your valuation appointment

For a flat in Shad Thames, Borough or the wider SE1 area, bring your lease details, service charge records and major works correspondence to the valuation appointment. Hastings International’s London Bridge team covers these neighbourhoods and can discuss the property’s market position and the information buyers are likely to need.

Arrange a free sales valuation to plan your next steps.

General information for sellers of leasehold flats in England, checked on 30 September 2026. Seek advice from your conveyancer on your documents and legal obligations.