I would like to sublet my leasehold flat in Bridport. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Notwithstanding that your last Bridport conveyancing lawyer is not available you can review your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the property. The rule is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must obtain consent from your landlord or other appropriate person in advance of subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet without first obtaining consent. Such consent is not allowed to be unreasonably withheld. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

I only have 68 years remaining on my flat in Bridport. I need to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that 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 enable the lease to be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the freeholder. On the whole a specialist should be helpful to try and locate and prepare an expert document to be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Bridport.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement flat in Bridport.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the service charge 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 managing agents 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Bridport. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Bridport ?

The majority of houses in Bridport are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Bridport so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Bridport conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the freeholder’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your lawyer should advise you fully on all the issues.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Bridport what are the most frequent lease defects?

Leasehold conveyancing in Bridport is not unique. Most leases are individual and drafting errors can result in certain provisions are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the property
• Insurance obligations
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Santander, Skipton Building Society, and Nottingham Building Society all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.

Bridport Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this situation the tenants benefit from being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently employed where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. Who takes responsibility for maintaining and repairing the block? It would be a good idea to investigate if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. By way of example it is fairly common in Bridport leases that pets are not allowed in in a block in Bridport. If you love the flatin Bridport but your cat can’t live with you then you have a very difficult decision.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Bridport