Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 72 years unexpired on my lease in Chipping Sodbury. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

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 mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to track down the landlord. In some cases an enquiry agent would be useful to try and locate and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Chipping Sodbury.

Planning to complete next month on a studio apartment in Chipping Sodbury. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they report fully next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• You should receive a copy of the lease

I've found a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Chipping Sodbury. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Chipping Sodbury ?

Most houses in Chipping Sodbury are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Chipping Sodbury in which case you should be looking for a Chipping Sodbury conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

I am employed by a long established estate agent office in Chipping Sodbury where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Chipping Sodbury conveyancing solicitors. Could you confirm whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start 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 to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

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 purchaser.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Chipping Sodbury with the purpose of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Chipping Sodbury can be avoided where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Chipping Sodbury state that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. If you fail to have the approvals to hand do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer before hand.

I acquired a ground floor flat in Chipping Sodbury, conveyancing formalities finalised 2010. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Chipping Sodbury with a long lease are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2098

You have 75 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £11,400 and £13,200 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should 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 want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

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Lease Extensions in Chipping Sodbury