I only have Sixty One years left on my lease in Danescourt. I am keen to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What are my options?

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 lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have used your best endeavours to find the lessor. In some cases a specialist may be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Danescourt.

Planning to complete next month on a leasehold property in Danescourt. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• You should be sent a copy of the lease

The physical extent of the property. This will be the apartment itself but might incorporate a roof space or cellar if applicable.

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

Whether the lease restricts you from letting out the flat, or having a home office for business

You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease

Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)

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. For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Danescourt please ask your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Danescourt

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Danescourt. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure 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).

Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Danescourt conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Danescourt conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you make enquires with several firms including non Danescourt conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be helpful:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?

How many lease extensions have they conducted in Danescourt in the last twenty four months?

Completion in due on the sale of our £250000 maisonette in Danescourt in six days. The freeholder has quoted £396 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Danescourt?

Danescourt conveyancing on leasehold apartments usually results in administration charges invoiced by managing agents :

• Addressing pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Danescourt
• 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 Danescourt leasehold premises is £350. For Danescourt 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 answers.

Danescourt Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

If a Danescourt lease has no more than eighty years it will impact the value of the flat. It is worth checking with your bank that they are content with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will probably require a lease extension at some point and it is worth discovering how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the premises for a couple of years in order to be entitled to carry out a lease extension. You will want to find out as much as possible regarding the company managing the block as they will either make living at the property much simpler or a lot more difficult. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to daily issues such as the cleanliness of the communal areas. Don't be shy to ask prospective neighbours if they are happy with them. Finally, investigate as to the dates that the service fees are due to the relevant party and specifically what it includes. How much is the ground rent and service charge?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Danescourt