Katie Cohen

Katie advises on freehold sales and purchases, including complex acquisitions, ground-rent portfolios, and collective enfranchisements.

• Successfully defended a freeholder client’s recoverable costs position at the Tribunal concerning a complex sale of the freehold on the South Coast under section 33 of the 1993 Act.
• Acted in the acquisition of three ground-rent portfolios simultaneously within 20 working days for the landlord client following successful bids at auction, involving prioritising, delegate reporting on title, and working to tight deadlines.
• Assisted with the £17m acquisition of a complex collective enfranchisement in Grosvenor Square, W1, from the Grosvenor Estate, and dealt with the putting into place of bespoke 999-year leases following completion.
• Acquired the freehold of two neighbouring buildings in Prime Central London from one of the Estates for a combined premium of £75m combining numerous complex legal issues under both the 1993 Act and 1967 Act, respectively.
• Undertook administrative restoration of a struck-off company to enable the lessees to acquire their freehold.

Katie advises on lease extensions, coordinating large group extensions, statutory applications, and tribunal proceedings, representing landlords and tenants while managing premiums, terms, and strategic portfolio advice across multiple high-value properties.

• Successfully argued the validity of a section 42 notice on behalf of a tenant client where the freehold was unregistered, involving a novel point of law concerning the interpretation of service upon and response by the landlord. Enabled the lease extension to progress at the premium stated in the section 42 notice.
• Coordinated a large group lease extension in Hampstead against a well-known property company.
• Handled at least 50 ongoing statutory lease extensions, collective enfranchisements, and voluntary freehold sales and lease extensions for a prolific landlord client, involving main client contact for the various directors and advised on prospective ground-rent investments, the strategy for dealing with particular estates within their portfolio, and the day-to-day management of files.
• Acted for both landlords and tenants in numerous tribunal applications for the determination of the premium and terms of acquisition in collective enfranchisements and lease extensions.

Katie advises tenants and investors on leasehold reform and enfranchisements, including collective enfranchisements, rights of first refusal, freehold acquisitions, and missing freeholder claims.

• Acted on the £2m acquisition of the freehold under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 on the Cadogan Estate, the £1.8m lease extension on the Grosvenor Estate, and the £3m collective enfranchisement against The Wellcome Trust simultaneously – developing extensive knowledge and effective strategy of acting against the PCL Estates to achieve favourable results for clients without recourse to the Tribunal.
• Acted for 141 lessees in Docklands to successfully exercise their right of first refusal under section 5A of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1987 and to purchase their freehold valued at £1m. Advised on the finance of the reversion of the non-participating flats through the creation of an investment consortium (LLP) comprising internal investors. Completed the transaction within six months and oversaw implementation of 999-year leases and overriding leases.
• Acted for numerous tenants against well-known PCL estates and property companies on statutory claims under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.
• Acted in the acquisition of the freehold for 100 lessees in Docklands who exercised their right of first refusal under section 5A of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1987.
• Acted in the acquisition of the freehold from missing freeholders under the rules of bona vacantia, escheat, and the Landlord & Tenant Act 1987.
• Acted on the collective enfranchisement of one of the most high-profile and complex collective enfranchisements under the 1993 Act, including the re-structuring of the leasehold title structure and transfer of title.

Katie advises Middle Eastern ultra-high-net-worth clients and ruling families on freehold claims, lease extensions, and complex collective enfranchisements, managing statutory notices, valuations, and high-value residential transactions across Prime London estates.

• Advised a Middle Eastern Ruling family in respect of a freehold claim of one of their Prime Central London residences under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, including re-organising the client’s building from a legal and title perspective in order to enable a freehold claim to progress. The claim was valued at £85 million and was one of the most complex collective enfranchisement claims attempted.
• Advised ultra-high-net-worth Middle Eastern property investors with numerous short-lease flats in Prime London, working alongside our experienced residential conveyancing team to draft the appropriate specialist clauses within the sales contracts dealing with the service of the relevant notice to initiate the claim, drafting the often complex section 42 notices, and the assignment of the benefit of those claims through to completion. Premiums ranged from £500,000 to £10 million.
• Assisted numerous Middle Eastern ultra-high-net worth individuals and companies alongside their buying agents, mortgage advisors, real estate lawyers both within the UK and other jurisdictions, and their representatives, advising on the leasehold enfranchisement aspects of their residential portfolios and initiating claims within all the Prime Central London Estates, namely Grosvenor, Portman, Howard de Walden, and Cadogan Estates.
• Acted alongside a real estate lawyer on the acquisition of a 2-year lease for a Middle Eastern property investor in Mayfair within the Grosvenor Estate and the initiation of a complex statutory lease extension claim comprising a complex title structure necessitating the service of 4 different parties and a complex valuation exercise alongside a highly experienced valuer to apportion the relevant claim.  Worked alongside a specialist residential property litigator within the firm and a KC at Chambers at the First-tier Tribunal and achieved a substantial saving on the ultimate premium of £12 million from the counterclaimed £25 million.

Winner of Solicitor of the Year 2024 at the Enfranchisement and Right to Manage Awards (ERMAs)

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Residential Property 2021–2024

Finalist for ‘Solicitor of the Year’ at the ERMAs 2021

Highly Commended Young Professional of the Year at the Enfranchisement and Right to Manage Awards 2013

ALEP (Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners) establishing Keystone Law’s membership to the association

Honorary Consultant for the Federation of Private Resident Associations (FPRA)