I am intending to let out my leasehold flat in Abertridwr. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Your lease governs relations between the landlord and you the leaseholder; specifically, it will indicate if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain conditions. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. Most leases in Abertridwr do not contain subletting altogether – such a clause would adversely affect the market value the flat. In most cases there is simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a copy of the sublease.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Sixty One years unexpired on my lease in Abertridwr. I now want to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to find the lessor. For most situations a specialist should be useful to try and locate and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Abertridwr.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Abertridwr. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Abertridwr ?

Most houses in Abertridwr are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Abertridwr in which case you should be looking for a Abertridwr conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor will report to you on the legal implications.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Abertridwr. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I work for a long established estate agency in Abertridwr where we have experienced a number of flat sales put at risk due to short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Abertridwr conveyancing solicitors. Please can you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

Abertridwr Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

The prefered form of lease arrangement is if the freehold title is owned by the leaseholders. In this situation the lessees benefit from control and even though a managing agent is often retained where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. If a Abertridwr lease has less than eighty years it will impact the value of the property. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are content with residual term of the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely require a lease extension at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. For most Abertridwrlease extensions you would need to own the residence for two years before you are entitled to carry out a lease extension. How many years are left on the lease?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Abertridwr