How to complete an LPE1 form

Step 1 — Gather the core documents first

Before touching the form, collect the documents that answer most of it. Working from paper rather than memory prevents the single most common problem: answers that contradict the documents attached alongside them.

• The current buildings insurance schedule.
• The last two or three years of service charge accounts.
• The current year's service charge budget.
• The reserve (sinking) fund balance or statement.
• The most recent fire risk assessment and any actions arising.
• Records of planned or ongoing major works, including Section 20 notices.
• The lease (or a typical lease for the building).
• The company's details, recent accounts and filings.

Step 2 — Work through the form section by section

Answer in themed blocks rather than jumping around. Each section draws on a specific document, so grouping the work keeps you in one place at a time.

Service charges

State the current annual budget, how costs are apportioned between the flats (usually fixed by the lease as equal shares or percentages), whether the flat being sold is up to date, and what the reserve fund holds. If a large one-off demand or an increase is anticipated, say so — a buyer needs to know.

Insurance

Confirm that buildings insurance is in force, give the insurer, the sum insured and the renewal date, and attach the schedule. This is one of the quickest sections when the current schedule is to hand.

Major works and Section 20

Describe any works planned or under way, with an estimated cost where one exists, and note any Section 20 consultation. If costs are not yet known, a plain statement to that effect is far better than leaving the question blank.

Ground rent and the company

Give the ground rent, when it falls due and whether any is outstanding, then the company's basic details and filing position. Two parties sometimes answer here if ground rent and service charges are administered separately.

Safety, compliance and disputes

Provide the fire risk assessment and any compliance records, answer the Building Safety Act questions with what is known and attach what is held, and disclose any disputes, complaints or proceedings. Where something does not apply, mark it clearly rather than leaving it ambiguous.

Step 3 — Mark what is not applicable or not known

A blank answer worries a conveyancer; a clear 'not applicable' or 'not known' reassures them. Being explicit about what you cannot answer is more professional, and safer, than guessing. If a figure is unavailable, say why and when it is expected.

Step 4 — Attach the supporting documents

Every figure you give should be backed by the document it came from. Attaching the accounts, budget, insurance schedule and fire risk assessment alongside the answers prevents an entire round of follow-up enquiries, because the conveyancer can verify the numbers themselves.

Step 5 — Have a second person review before issuing

The directors issuing the pack remain responsible for it. A quick review by another director — checking figures against documents and confirming nothing is stale — catches most errors before they reach a solicitor. Keep a record of who confirmed each answer and when.

The faster route

The manual process above works, and understanding it is worthwhile. But most of the effort is document-reading, and that is exactly the part software can take on.

Upload your block documents to Peppercorn One and it analyses them, identifies the information each LPE1 question needs, and offers it as a suggested answer with a link to the source page. You review, confirm or correct — retaining full control and a complete audit trail — and reuse the confirmed record next time a flat in the building is sold.

This guide is general information about the process, not legal advice. Where a question turns on the terms of your lease, or on a legal issue you are unsure about, take advice from a suitably qualified professional.