My wife and I may need to rent out our Denton basement flat temporarily due to taking a sabbatical. We used a Denton conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time get any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Your lease dictates the relationship between the freeholder and you the flat owner; specifically, it will set out if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The rule is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. Most leases in Denton do not prevent subletting altogether – such a clause would undoubtedly devalue the property. Instead, there is usually simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a duplicate of the sublease.

I only have 62 years left on my flat in Denton. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What should I do?

On the basis that 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 lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to find the landlord. For most situations a specialist would be useful to conduct investigations and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Denton.

I've found a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have just discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Denton. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Denton ?

Most houses in Denton are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Denton so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Denton conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a Denton conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Denton conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you speak with two or three firms including non Denton conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be useful:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?

What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

All being well we will complete our sale of a £300000 garden flat in Denton next Monday . The managing agents has quoted £420 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Denton?

Denton conveyancing on leasehold apartments nine out of ten times necessitates fees being invoiced by landlords agents :

• Answering pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Denton
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Denton leasehold property is £350. For Denton 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 required to supply the information.

I purchased a garden flat in Denton, conveyancing was carried out 2001. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent properties in Denton with over 90 years remaining are worth £202,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2090

With 68 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £12,400 and £14,200 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

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Lease Extensions in Denton