Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 62 years remaining on my lease in Bury. I now wish to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. What should I do?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, 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 enable the lease to be lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to track down the landlord. On the whole a specialist should be useful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Bury.

I am hoping to complete next month on a basement flat in Bury. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they will have a report out to me on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

• You should receive a copy of the lease

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor flat in Bury.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just received a yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is 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 management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until 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 am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently found out that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Bury. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Bury ?

The majority of houses in Bury are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Bury in which case you should be shopping around for a Bury conveyancing solicitor and be sure 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 tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is located on an estate. Your conveyancer should advise you fully on all the issues.

We expect to complete our sale of a £275000 maisonette in Bury next Monday . The landlords agents has quoted £324 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Bury?

Bury conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not necessitates the purchaser’s conveyancer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address such questions the majority will be willing to assist. They are at liberty invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it exceeds £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the invoice is technically not due. In reality you have no option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Bury - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other major work is pending to be shared by the leasehold owners and could well materially impact the level of the service costs or necessitate a one off payment. What is the the remaining lease term? What is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the apartment?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Bury