Renewing/extending a property lease. Any advice or pitfalls?

A friend of mine had to do that with a London flat she wanted to sell because she was moving to the other end of the country.

It cost her over £20,000 and took around 6 months. Yours in theory should not cost so much or take so long because of who your landlord is. In theory, I would think you will have to seek their permission.

Good luck.

ps if if possible take on a short extension - that was where we went wrong.

Husband had an experience of extending a lease, but on a shop property. At the time the shop was in a very busy area and was doing well.
But as often in business, things changed and he was left with a millstone around his neck. Insurances, mortgage etc still to pay.
It's always a bit of a gamble. I don't remember him having to have searches done.

At least with a LA landlord you should get fair terms, probably the CAB would be a better starting point for advice