Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years remaining on my flat in Chipping Campden. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, 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 lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to locate the landlord. For most situations a specialist should be useful to try and locate and prepare a report to be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Chipping Campden.

I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Chipping Campden.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear 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 managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Chipping Campden. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I work for a long established estate agent office in Chipping Campden where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales put at risk as a result of short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Chipping Campden conveyancing solicitors. Can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 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 disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Chipping Campden with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Chipping Campden can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers representatives.
• The majority freeholders or managing agents in Chipping Campden charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Chipping Campden.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Chipping Campden - A selection of Queries before buying

This question is important as a) areas may result in problems in the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if services are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have a dispute with the managing agents you will wish to have all the details It would be wise to discover as much as possible regarding the managing agents as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are often in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day issues such as the cleanliness of the common parts. Ask other people whether they are happy with them. In conclusion, be sure you understand the dates that the service fees are due to the managing agents and specifically what it includes. Does the lease contain onerous restrictions?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Chipping Campden