I only have Sixty One years unexpired on my flat in Chandlers Ford. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. 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 enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to locate the lessor. For most situations an enquiry agent should be useful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Chandlers Ford.

Due to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Chandlers Ford. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they are sending me a report next week. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Chandlers Ford should include some of the following:

• The physical extent of the property. This will be the flat itself but might incorporate a loft or basement if applicable.

You should be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease

An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has

The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.

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

Responsibility for repairing the window frames

What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Chandlers Ford please enquire of your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Chandlers Ford

I have just started marketing my garden flat in Chandlers Ford.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a yearly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

The sensible thing to do is pay the invoice 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 seems to be perfect, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Chandlers Ford. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Chandlers Ford ?

The majority of houses in Chandlers Ford 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 purchasing in Chandlers Ford so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Chandlers Ford conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the sale of our £250000 garden flat in Chandlers Ford next Monday . The managing agents has quoted £408 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Chandlers Ford?

For most leasehold sales in Chandlers Ford conveyancing will involve, queries regarding the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Addressing conveyancing due diligence questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Chandlers Ford
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Chandlers Ford leasehold premises is £350. For Chandlers Ford 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 provide the information.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Chandlers Ford - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Be sure to discover if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example it is very common in Chandlers Ford leases that pets are not allowed in in a block in Chandlers Ford. If you like the flatin Chandlers Ford but your dog can’t live with you then you will be presented with a hard choice. The best form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this situation the lessees enjoy control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually retained where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. How long is the Lease?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Chandlers Ford