I have recently realised that I have 72 years unexpired on my lease in Carbis Bay. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to locate the landlord. In some cases a specialist would be helpful to try and locate and to produce an expert document to be used as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Carbis Bay.

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 subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Carbis Bay. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Carbis Bay ?

The majority of houses in Carbis Bay are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Carbis Bay in which case you should be shopping around for a Carbis Bay conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the landlord’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

I am attracted to a two apartments in Carbis Bay which have about forty five years left on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Carbis Bay. The lease is a right to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the saleability of the lease reduces and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We advise that you get professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Carbis Bay conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Carbis Bay conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Carbis Bay conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be of use:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
• What are the charges for lease extension work?

All being well we will complete the disposal of our £ 225000 flat in Carbis Bay in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Carbis Bay?

Carbis Bay conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes nine out of ten times necessitates administration charges levied by landlords agents :

• Completing pre-contract enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Carbis Bay
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Carbis Bay leasehold property is £350. For Carbis Bay 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 required to provide answers.

Carbis Bay Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

This information is important as a) areas can result in problems for the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the running of the building you will want to have complete disclosure