I only have Seventy years left on my flat in Bucknall. I now wish to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What should I do?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, 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 extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the landlord. In some cases an enquiry agent would be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Bucknall.

Looking forward to sign contracts shortly on a studio apartment in Bucknall. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring?

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have just been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Bucknall. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Bucknall are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Bucknall so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Bucknall conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the landlord’spermission to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your lawyer should appraise you on the various issues.

I own a leasehold house in Bucknall. Conveyancing and Birmingham Midshires mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Bucknall who previously acted has now retired.Any advice?

First make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a Bucknall conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. You should note 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 employed by a busy estate agency in Bucknall where we see a few leasehold sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Bucknall conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the buyer?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. 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 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 buyer.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Bucknall - A selection of Queries before buying

What is the name of the managing agents? On the whole the outlay for major works are not included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Bucknall obliged leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major works. Its a good idea to discover as much as you can concerning the company managing the block as they will either make living at the property much simpler or much more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to every day issues such as the upkeep of the communal areas. Don't be shy to ask other people if they are happy with them. On a final note, find out the dates that the maintenance fees are due to the managing agents and precisely what it includes.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Bucknall