I have recently realised that I have 72 years unexpired on my lease in Allestree. I need to get lease extension but my freeholder is absent. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to find the lessor. In some cases a specialist should be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Allestree.

I am a negotiator for a long established estate agency in Allestree where we see a few leasehold sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Allestree conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

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 buyer.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Allestree conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Allestree conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Allestree conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?
• Can they put you in touch with client in Allestree who can give a testimonial?

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Allestree with the purpose of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Allestree can be reduced where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
• Many freeholders or managing agents in Allestree levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Allestree.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Allestree leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. Should you fail to have the paperwork to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your conveyancer first.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming formality and delays many a Allestree conveyancing deal. Where a reissued share is necessary, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.
• You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should double-check by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is less than 75 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

We expect to complete the disposal of our £ 425000 maisonette in Allestree in seven days. The landlords agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Allestree?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Allestree conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Addressing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Allestree
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Allestree leasehold property is £350. For Allestree conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide answers.

I inherited a leasehold flat in Allestree, conveyancing having been completed 2004. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding properties in Allestree with a long lease are worth £205,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 invoiced every year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2084

With just 58 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £23,800 and £27,400 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.