Leasehold pack cost: what landlords charge for the LPE1

What an LPE1 is, and what comes with it

The LPE1 is the standard set of leasehold property enquiries. The buyer's solicitor needs the answers: who the landlord and the managing agent are, what the service charge and ground rent are, whether anything is owed, what major works are planned, and what insurance covers the building. Only the landlord or its agent can answer, so the seller's solicitor asks them, and they charge for it. Most of those we read send the documents behind the answers in the same pack: service charge accounts, the budget, the insurance schedule and, from some, the building safety papers.

The words differ from one landlord to the next. Councils mostly call it a pre-assignment pack, managing agents a management pack, and several housing associations price the LPE1 form itself. Where we could, we have taken each publisher's standard pack on a sale, and the column "What it covers" is in their own terms.

What landlords and agents publish for the pack

Eighteen councils, eight housing associations and four managing agents, each quoting its own price on its own page. Eleven say the price includes VAT, two are before VAT and seventeen either say no VAT is charged or do not say, so read the VAT words below before comparing.

If your landlord is not here, the price you pay is the one its own schedule or its agent sets, and your solicitor will be told it when they order the pack. The table shows how far apart landlords are, not what yours will ask. Most of the large managing agents we checked publish no price on their own sites: some quote case by case, some only behind a login, so we cannot show it.

What costs extra

The standard pack is rarely the only charge. Faster turnaround, a refresh of a pack that has gone out of date, more questions from the buyer's solicitor and the building safety papers are often priced separately. In the publishers' own words:

• bpha. A pack updated within six months costs half the first one. Leasehold Property Enquiries Form (LPE1) 6 Month Update Fee: £100 inc VAT
• Centrick. Building safety questions are priced on top of the pack, not inside it. Expedited LPE1 Pack – Next Working Day Fee: £450 + VAT – Where available / Building Safety Act Enquiries Fee: £100 + VAT / Additional Enquiries (per 5 questions) £50 + VAT
• Eden Housing Association. A full copy of the insurance policy is charged separately. Copy of full Buildings Insurance Policy £60
• Hyde. Hyde charges less for a freehold property than for a leasehold one. Up to 6 additional enquiries - £150 (inc VAT)
• Jigsaw Homes. Cheaper where there is no service charge to account for. LPE1 with no Service Charges: £120.00
• L&Q. A refresh of a pack under six months old costs a fraction of a new one. Updated pre‑sale enquiry pack (if under six months old): £80
• Lewisham Council. Further questions from the buyer's solicitor are charged on top. Leasehold pre assignment or re-mortgage pack additional enquires £110
• One Manchester. The building safety papers are priced as separate copies. Copy of Fire Risk Assessment - £15 / Copy of EWS report - £15
• Redbridge Council. The fire risk assessment and the asbestos report cost extra. Additional information for the seller’s pack includes: fire risk assessment asbestos report / It’s an extra £93.15 for the additional information.
• Southwark Council. The fire risk assessment is not in the pack; the council requests it separately. We can offer a 2 working day service for £405.50, depending on staffing. / The pre-assignment information does not include a fire risk assessment for the building.
• St Albans City and District Council. Extra questions are priced one at a time. If additional enquiries are to be raised to us as the landlord our fees for dealing with each additional enquiry is £25.
• Stonewater. Stonewater warns that a management company can charge for a second pack on the same sale. Where there is also a management company, you may be liable for the cost of their management pack too
• Temphis. A small block manager that says in plain words the seller normally pays. Equity Pack (LPE1, Cert. Compliance, Updated Shares) – £800.00
• Wandsworth Council. Paid up front and not refunded if the sale falls through. On receipt of the fee, which is non-refundable, the information requested will be collated and sent by email.
• Warwick Estates. The only large managing agent we found that prints its price on its own site. Faster packs cost more. Express Management Pack: LPE1/FME1 within 5 working days* £595 plus VAT / Premium Management Pack: LPE1/FME1 within 2 working days* £650 plus VAT / an updated Sales Management Pack for the same property can be obtained for a fee of £350 plus VAT
• West Kent Housing Association. Five days instead of ten costs extra. Express Leasehold Enquiries (LPE1) 5 Day turnaround £300.00

Is there a cap on what they can charge?

No cap on leasehold pack fees is in force. The 2024 Act lets ministers set one, but that part has not started. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 gives ministers the power to set a limit, in the words of the new section it adds: The appropriate authority may by regulations / (a) limit the amount that may be charged under subsection (1)

A law passed in 2024 gives ministers the power to cap what landlords and agents charge for the information a seller needs, but that part of the Act has not been switched on and no cap has been set. Until it is, the price is whatever the landlord or its agent publishes.

The 2024 Act: legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, section 67, read 26 October 2026.

The government says it will use these powers to cap pack fees and turnaround times, and will consult on the detail first: We will use these powers to establish firm caps on fees and turnaround times for information requests. A promise, not a rule. No figure has been proposed, and the government says it will consult before any cap is written.

The government's roadmap: GOV.UK, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, home buying and selling reform roadmap, read 26 October 2026.

Who pays, and when

The seller. The buyer's solicitor asks for the information, but it is the seller's solicitor who orders the pack from the landlord or agent, and the fee is the seller's cost. Some of the publishers above will only send it to the seller or the seller's solicitor, and several want the fee before they start. One managing agent puts it plainly: Where a charge arises from a sale, it is normally settled by the seller or the seller’s solicitor as part of the transaction.

Order it as soon as the sale is agreed, or before. Turnaround runs from a day to several weeks depending on who supplies it and what you pay, and a sale cannot move until the buyer's solicitor has the answers. Some packs go out of date after a few months, and a refresh costs extra.

In their own words

Every price above, as the landlord or agent printed it.

• Barking and Dagenham Council. The dearest of the council prices that say they include VAT. The charge for providing pre-assignment information is £461 including VAT. VAT: including VAT.
• bpha. A pack updated within six months costs half the first one. Leasehold Property Enquiries Form (LPE1) Fee: £200 inc VAT VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Centrick. Building safety questions are priced on top of the pack, not inside it. Standard LPE1 Pack – 5-7 Working Days / Fee: £350 + VAT VAT: plus VAT.
• East Valley Block Management. A small agent that is not VAT registered, so the price on the page is the price. Management Pack (LPE1) / £300 / East Valley Block Management Ltd does not currently charge VAT. VAT: no VAT charged.
• Eden Housing Association. A full copy of the insurance policy is charged separately. Management Questionnaire (LPE1) £165 / All fees are inclusive of VAT where applicable. VAT: inclusive of VAT where applicable.
• Hackney Council. Ordered by the seller or the seller's solicitor. You or your solicitor can request a seller’s pack from us. It costs £250. VAT: not stated.
• Haringey Council. A council price that includes VAT. Information pack for solicitors (including VAT) / £216 VAT: including VAT.
• Hounslow Council. A council pack priced above most housing associations we read. If you're selling The management pack costs £317.00. VAT: not stated.
• Hyde. Hyde charges less for a freehold property than for a leasehold one. The fee for our standard pack issued to solicitors electronically is £250 (including VAT) for a freehold property and £300 (inc VAT) for a leasehold. VAT: including VAT.
• Islington Council. Islington calls it a sell-on pack. Leasehold sell-on pack / Information for solicitors / £240 VAT: not stated.
• Jigsaw Homes. Cheaper where there is no service charge to account for. Leasehold property Enquiries (LPE1) with Service Charges: £210.00 / All fees shown are inclusive of VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• L&Q. A refresh of a pack under six months old costs a fraction of a new one. Pre‑sale enquiry pack (landlord enquiries): £290 / All prices include VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Lambeth Council. One estate in the borough gets its pack from a different company. Cost for this service / The cost of this service is £200. VAT: not stated.
• Lewisham Council. Further questions from the buyer's solicitor are charged on top. Leasehold pre-assignment pack £275 VAT: not stated.
• Liverpool City Council. Joint dearest of the prices we read, with one managing agent. The cost of this service is £500 and will take up to two weeks for us to process. VAT: not stated.
• Newham Council. Newham puts the fire risk and asbestos assessments inside the pack. The pre-assignment pack costs £261.54 VAT: not stated.
• Norwich City Council. Joint lowest of the prices we read, and it includes VAT. cost: £150 (includes VAT) VAT: includes VAT.
• One Manchester. The building safety papers are priced as separate copies. Leasehold property enquiry form (LPE1) - £200 VAT: not stated.
• Oxford City Council. Paid when you order, and the fire and asbestos assessments are inside it. The fee for the pack is £312. VAT: not stated.
• Redbridge Council. The fire risk assessment and the asbestos report cost extra. We charge £243.20 for a standard seller’s pack. VAT: not stated.
• Royal Borough of Greenwich. A council pack with a standard price and a ten day target. What it costs / The standard fee is £245. VAT: not stated.
• Sheffield City Council. Joint lowest of the prices we read. We will charge £150 for the Leasehold Property Enquiries (LPE1) pack. VAT: not stated.
• Southwark Council. The fire risk assessment is not in the pack; the council requests it separately. The pre-assignment pack costs £296.50. VAT: not stated.
• St Albans City and District Council. Extra questions are priced one at a time. The charge for the Leasehold Information Pack (LIP) is £175. Please note that this fee is not subject to VAT at present. VAT: not subject to VAT.
• Stonewater. Stonewater warns that a management company can charge for a second pack on the same sale. On all sales, your solicitor will ask us to complete a Landlord Enquiry Pack, known as an LPE1. The fee for completing this is £200. VAT: not stated.
• Temphis. A small block manager that says in plain words the seller normally pays. Sale Pack / LPE1 / Solicitor Enquiry Response – £500.00 / All fees listed above are inclusive of VAT unless otherwise stated. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Tower Hamlets Council. Sent only to the seller's solicitor, never the buyer's. We call this a management pack / We charge £350 for this service. VAT: not stated.
• Wandsworth Council. Paid up front and not refunded if the sale falls through. The Pre-Assignment Pack fee is currently £278.46 (inclusive of VAT). VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Warwick Estates. The only large managing agent we found that prints its price on its own site. Faster packs cost more. Standard Management Pack: LPE1 Leasehold Flat/House within 15 working days £495 plus VAT / All prices are exclusive of VAT. VAT: plus VAT.
• West Kent Housing Association. Five days instead of ten costs extra. Leasehold Enquiries (LPE1) 10 Day turnaround £240.00 / All fees include VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.

How it fits with the other leasehold fees

The pack is the seller's fee. The buyer then meets the landlord's fees on the other side of the sale: the notice of transfer fee for registering the new owner and any mortgage, the deed of covenant fee where the lease asks the buyer to sign one, and the certificate of compliance fee where the Land Registry needs the landlord's confirmation before it registers the buyer. Why a leasehold purchase costs more to convey at all is on the leasehold conveyancing costs page.

See the full conveyancing bill

Questions people ask

Where to go next

• Conveyancing fees: the whole bill in one place, the legal fee, the disbursements and the tax.
• Notice of transfer fee: what landlords charge to register a new owner and a mortgage, quoted from their own pages.
• Deed of covenant fee: what landlords charge for a deed of covenant and a certificate of compliance, quoted from their own pages.
• Certificate of compliance fee: what landlords charge for the certificate the Land Registry waits for, quoted from their own pages.
• Landlord consent fee: what landlords and agents charge for a licence to assign, consent to sublet and consent to alterations, quoted from their own pages.
• Leasehold conveyancing costs: why a leasehold purchase costs more to convey, and which of the extra fees anyone can price.
• Every page Deedsum keeps: the hub, with the whole set on it.