Polja Atkins

Polja is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) specialising in leasehold enfranchisement and property disputes. She started her career acting for banking clients in mortgage repossessions and commercial landlords in the leisure industry. Polja has developed her niche in lease extensions and collective enfranchisement and is now our go-to legal advisor for freehold companies, management companies, individual landlords and tenants looking for swift, accurate advice and assistance resolving disputes.

Career

Polja studied Law and Politics at University St Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, Macedonia, graduating in 1996. She completed her MA in Criminology and Social Policy with The Open University in the UK in 2002. She has qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives since 2009.

Polja has specialised in property litigation for the entirety of her career with notable previous experience working for the biggest property management company in the country. She also has experience working in a City law firm, representing major breweries in forfeiture of leases of pubs and other commercial properties.

Expertise

Polja specialises in lease extensions, collective enfranchisement and the right of first refusal. She acts for both landlords and tenants with extensive experience acting in enfranchisement applications in the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).

Polja’s areas of expertise include:

• Lease extensions – both pursuant to the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and outside of the 1993 Act
• Collective enfranchisement – purchasing of the freehold of blocks of flats pursuant to the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993
• Right of first refusal
• Right to manage
• Management company and managing agent advice
• Nuisance claims
• Trespass claims
• Injunctions
• Boundary disputes
• Contentious landlord and tenant advice, commercial and residential, such as breaches of terms of lease and possession proceedings pursuant to assured shorthold tenancies
• Land Registry/Property Tribunal applications
• Dilapidation claims
• Recovery of service charge and ground rent arrears
• Forfeiture of commercial leases

Polja is fluent in Macedonian and Serbo-Croat, and proficient in French.

Recognition

Polja is an Associate of the Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM).

She is also a member of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP), a membership organisation that connects leaseholders and freeholders with advisors who specialise in all leasehold matters, extension, enfranchisement & freehold purchase, right to manage and leasehold disputes.