Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Seventy years remaining on my flat in Earley. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, 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 Court. However, you will be required to prove that you have done all that could be expected to find the lessor. On the whole a specialist should be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce a report to be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Earley.

Due to complete next month on a garden flat in Earley. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully next week. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark

I’m about to sell my basement apartment in Earley.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a half-yearly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the service charge 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 am employed by a long established estate agent office in Earley where we have experienced a number of flat sales jeopardised as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Earley conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner 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 has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is 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 buyer.

We expect to complete our sale of a £225000 flat in Earley next Thursday . The managing agents has quoted £420 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 Earley?

Earley conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally involves the buyer’s lawyer sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to such questions the majority will be willing to assist. They may invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it is above £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. In reality you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

Earley Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

The answer will be helpful as a) areas can result in problems in the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate if services are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will need to have all the details Its a good idea to discover as much as possible concerning the company managing the block as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you are frequently at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day issues such as the tidiness of the common parts. Don't be shy to ask prospective neighbours what they think of them. Finally, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and precisely what you get for your money. The majority of Earley leasehold properties will have a service charge for maintenance of the block invoiced on behalf of the freeholder. If you buy the apartment you will have to meet this amount, normally in instalments accross the year. This could vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common grounds. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, this is usually not a exorbitant sum, say around £50-£100 but you need to enquire as sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds.

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Lease Extensions in Earley