I have recently realised that I have Seventy years unexpired on my lease in Claverdon. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What are my options?

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 or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the lessor. In some cases an enquiry agent may be useful to try and locate and prepare a report which can be used as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Claverdon.

I am hoping to exchange soon on a garden flat in Claverdon. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord

The total extent of the property. This will be the apartment itself but may incorporate a loft or cellar if applicable.

Defining your rights in respect of the communal areas in the building.E.G., does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or hallways?

Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property?

Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change

Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)

What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Claverdon please ask your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Claverdon

I have just started marketing my ground floor flat in Claverdon.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

It best that you discharge 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 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.

I've found a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Claverdon. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Claverdon are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Claverdon in which case you should be shopping around for a Claverdon conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your lawyer should report to you on the legal implications.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £125000 flat in Claverdon next Wednesday . The landlords agents has quoted £300 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Claverdon?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Claverdon conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Addressing pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Claverdon
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Claverdon leasehold premises is £350. For Claverdon 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 supply the information.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Claverdon - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

How many years are left on the lease? Who is in charge of the building? Many Claverdon leasehold flats will incur a service bill for maintenance of the building set on behalf of the landlord. Should you buy the property you will have to pay this amount, usually quarterly accross the year. This could vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common grounds. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a significant amount, say about £50-£100 but you should to enquire as on occasion it could be prohibitively expensive.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Claverdon