I have recently realised that I have Fifty years remaining on my lease in Billericay. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What should I do?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to locate the lessor. For most situations a specialist would be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Billericay.

I have just started marketing my ground floor flat in Billericay.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a yearly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you pay 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 unless 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Billericay. Conveyancing and Leeds Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing solicitor in Billericay who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

First make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Billericay conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am looking at a couple of flats in Billericay both have about forty five years left on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Billericay. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the value of the lease reduces and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We advise that you seek professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

All being well we will complete the disposal of our £ 275000 maisonette in Billericay on Friday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Billericay?

Billericay conveyancing on leasehold flats usually involves the purchaser’s conveyancer sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address these enquiries most will be willing to do so. They may invoice a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the charge is technically not due. In reality you have little choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

Billericay Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying

What prohibitions are contained in the Billericay Lease? The majority of Billericay leasehold apartments will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the block levied by the management company. If you buy the apartment you will have to pay this contribution, usually quarterly accross the year. This can vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common areas. In all probability there will be a ground rent for you to pay annual, normally this is not a significant sum, say around £50-£100 but you need to check it because on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds.