Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Bakewell. Before diving in I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Bakewell - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title.For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I wish to let out my leasehold flat in Bakewell. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

Some leases for properties in Bakewell do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years remaining on my flat in Bakewell. I need to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What are my options?

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 enable the lease to be lengthened by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. On the whole an enquiry agent should be useful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document which can be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Bakewell.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my garden flat in Bakewell.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a yearly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

It best that you clear the invoice as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I am employed by a busy estate agent office in Bakewell where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have been given contradictory information from local Bakewell conveyancing solicitors. Please can you clarify whether the seller of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has owned the lease 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 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 at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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.

Bakewell Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that will increase the maintenance costs? The majority of Bakewell leasehold properties will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the block invoiced on behalf of the landlord. Where you acquire the flat you will have to pay this liability, usually in instalments during the year. This may be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common areas. There will also be a ground rent to be met yearly, this is usually not a significant amount, say about £50-£100 but you need to enquire it because on occasion it can be prohibitively expensive. Who manages the block?

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Lease Extensions in Bakewell