I have recently realised that I have Seventy years unexpired on my lease in Burnham On Crouch. I now want to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application 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 magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the lessor. In some cases a specialist may be helpful to carry out a search and prepare a report to be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Burnham On Crouch.

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Burnham On Crouch. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me next week. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Burnham On Crouch should include some of the following:

• The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years

Whether the lease restricts you from renting out the flat, or working from home

Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)

I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required

Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?

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? For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Burnham On Crouch please ask your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Burnham On Crouch

I am attracted to a couple of apartments in Burnham On Crouch both have about fifty years left on the leases. should I be concerned?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Burnham On Crouch is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the marketability of the property. For most buyers and mortgage companies, leases with less than 75 years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Burnham On Crouch conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Burnham On Crouch with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Burnham On Crouch can be reduced where you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Burnham On Crouch leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. Where you fail to have the paperwork in place you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance.

A minority of Burnham On Crouch leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.

If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming process and delays many a Burnham On Crouch conveyancing transaction. Where a reissued share certificate is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible.

You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should double-check by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is under 75 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

All being well we will complete the disposal of our £225000 maisonette in Burnham On Crouch in just under a week. The management company has quoted £420 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Burnham On Crouch?

Burnham On Crouch conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally necessitates administration charges invoiced by freeholders :

• Addressing pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Burnham On Crouch
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Burnham On Crouch leasehold premises is £350. For Burnham On Crouch conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to supply the information.

I bought a 2 bed flat in Burnham On Crouch, conveyancing having been completed 6 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Burnham On Crouch with an extended lease are worth £209,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease runs out on 21st October 2090

With only 66 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £13,300 and £15,400 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

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Lease Extensions in Burnham On Crouch