I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Buckhurst Hill. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Buckhurst Hill - 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 have recently realised that I have 72 years left on my flat in Buckhurst Hill. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

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 lengthened by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to find the landlord. In some cases an enquiry agent should be useful to conduct investigations and prepare a report which can be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Buckhurst Hill.

Expecting to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Buckhurst Hill. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Buckhurst Hill should include some of the following:

• Setting out your rights in respect of common areas in the block.For example, does the lease provide for a right of way over a path or staircase?
• Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
• Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property?
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

Back In 2001, I bought a leasehold house in Buckhurst Hill. Conveyancing and HSBC Bank mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing solicitor in Buckhurst Hill who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

First contact HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Buckhurst Hill conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. You should note that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Buckhurst Hill. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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 be sure 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).

Notwithstanding our best endeavours, we have been unsuccessful in negotiating a lease extension in Buckhurst Hill. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

in cases where there is a missing freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to calculate the amount due.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Buckhurst Hill flat is 201 & 201a St. Barnabas Road in October 2013. The Tribunal decided that the price to be paid by the Applicants for the freehold interest is £20,071. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 69.26 years.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Buckhurst Hill - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

On the whole the outlay for major works are not incorporated into the service charges, although some managing agents in Buckhurst Hill require tenants to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for larger works. The best form of lease structure is where the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this scenario the tenants enjoy being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually employed if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.