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  • Absentee Landlord & Freeholder Tracing Service

Absentee Landlord & Freeholder Tracing Service

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If you own a leasehold property and are struggling to contact your landlord or freeholder, we can help.

Our specialist team tracks down absentee landlords and freeholders to help you get permission to sell, renovate, sublet your property, or extend your lease. If they still cannot be found we can still help you.

It might be difficult to contact your landlord for a variety of reasons. They may have moved house or someone new may have inherited the freehold. You may find it particularly difficult to contact your landlord if your freehold is owned by a foreign property investor.

We’ll work to track down your landlord and get you up-to-date contact information as soon as possible. If your landlord isn’t traceable, we can advise on your legal options in their absence including how to buy your freehold or extend your lease without the landlord’s permission.

We’ll help you through the process from start to finish and explain everything you need to know in plain English.

Our experienced solicitors can also advise on any other property law issues once we’ve found your landlord. We can help you extend your lease, buy your freehold, or sell your property. With offices around the UK, we’re ready to help wherever you’re based or wherever your property is.

Call today for a no obligation consultation on 0370 1500 100 - or fill out our online enquiry form and we’ll call you back.

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Jeremy Raj Partner Meet the team

Absentee Landlords - More Information

When you’re a leaseholder, you need to contact your landlord to do certain things with your property, including:

  • Carrying out certain changes or maintenance to your property
  • Selling your property
  • Extending your lease
  • Buying your freehold
  • Sub-letting.

If you’re planning any of these but can’t get in touch with your freeholder, we may be able to help. Call us on 0370 1500 100 to find out more.

As standard, it costs £75+VAT to trace someone but it may cost more if your landlord is particularly difficult to find.

If you’d like to sell your property once we’ve found your landlord, we can help with that too. See our conveyancing calculator to find out how much selling your property will cost.

A leasehold property is either a flat or a house that you do not own outright. You essentially rent it for an extended period of time on a lease, but the land it is built on is owned by the landlord or freeholder.

Because you don’t own the property outright, you may need to get permission from the landlord before making certain changes to the property or lease. Our lawyers can help you track down your landlord if you’re struggling to get in touch with them – contact us online to learn more.

Mr & Mrs Parkes

"The whole team was pleasant and professional at all times. We recommend them without reservation."

Mr & Mrs Parkes, clients

Frequently Asked Questions

What If I Live In A Block Of Flats?

It can be especially difficult to trace the freeholder of a block of flats. The freeholder may have sold the properties on long leases many years ago and since forgotten about them or moved away.

You still have rights even if this is the case. For example, you may be able to collectively buy the freehold to the building with the other tenants.

If you live in a flat, we can help track down your landlord so you can make changes to your property or lease. If it’s not possible to trace your landlord, we’ll advise you on your options in their absence. Contact us today to find out more.

How Does Landlord Tracing Work?

Telephone tracing is the most widely used method. We’ll contact a variety of people connected to the freeholder to find out where they are...

...including friends, family, neighbours and employers. This process is discreet and ethical, and complies with the Data Protection Act.

Typically, it takes around 3 weeks for us to locate a freeholder.

Related Information - Absentee Landlords

Extending a lease – Our team can help you extend the lease on a leasehold house or flat whether your landlord is missing or not
Selling a property – Our team of property experts are on hand to make selling your property quick and easy
Conveyancing guide – Conveyancing refers to all aspects of buying or selling property. Find out more in this useful guide.
Freehold purchase – How we can help you buy your property’s freehold to maintain or increase the value of your investment

All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to conveyancing and property is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means. Please visit our Scottish Conveyancing page for more information.

Awards & Accreditation

We're always proud to be recognised for the work we do for our clients and have been named as a leading firm in the latest legal guides - which provide information and recommendations about lawyers and law firms in the UK.


Private Client Team of the Year - Legal Business Awards 2018
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Chambers & Partners 2020 logo

What Our Clients Say

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I am so happy i chose Irwin Mitchell as my solicitors, they have done nothing but help me threw my recovery since my tragic accident, I am still recovering and they do their absolute best to make my life easier…

Kayley hicken
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Sheffield conveyancers are simply the best!

Fast friendly and efficient service from Sheffield team all dealt with electronically due to distance with buying on south coast... The price quoted was fair, fixed and compared favourably against other large firms. Would definitely use again and recommend to anyone.


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I would highly recommend this firm. My medical negligence claim was handled very well by my solicitors Margaret Ryan and Rebecca Haigh. They have kept me well informed…

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About Irwin Mitchell

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.

It's what we call 'expert hand, human touch'.

We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

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