I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Dinnington. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and almost all are in Dinnington - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title.For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I only have Sixty One years left on my lease in Dinnington. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What are my options?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order 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 done all that could be expected to track down the freeholder. For most situations a specialist should be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Dinnington.

I own a leasehold flat in Dinnington. Conveyancing and TSB mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Dinnington who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Dinnington conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of apartments in Dinnington both have approximately fifty years left on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are plenty of short leases in Dinnington. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As a lease gets shorter the marketability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We recommend you seek professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Dinnington conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Dinnington conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Dinnington conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

• Can they put you in touch with client in Dinnington who can give a testimonial?

Dinnington Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

What is the annual service fee and ground rent? Most Dinnington leasehold apartments will have a service bill for maintenance of the building invoiced on behalf of the landlord. Where you buy the apartment you will have to pay this charge, normally periodically during the year. This can vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal areas. In all probability there will be a rentcharge to be met annual, this is usually not a large amount, say around £50-£100 but you should to check it because on occasion it can be prohibitively expensive. The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this situation the tenants enjoy being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is usually retained where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Dinnington