I only have Seventy years unexpired on my flat in Ewloe. I need to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What options are available to me?

On the basis that 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 extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to track down the landlord. In some cases a specialist would be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document which can be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Ewloe.

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Ewloe. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Ewloe are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Ewloe so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Ewloe conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer should appraise you on the various issues.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Ewloe. Conveyancing and Birmingham Midshires mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Ewloe who previously acted has long since retired.What should I do?

First make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Ewloe conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. 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 two apartments in Ewloe both have in the region of 50 years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in Ewloe is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the marketability of the property. The majority of buyers and mortgage companies, leases with less than eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Ewloe conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £300000 maisonette in Ewloe in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £348 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Ewloe?

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

• Completing pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Ewloe
• 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 Ewloe leasehold property is £350. For Ewloe 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 provide the information.

Ewloe Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying

The best form of lease arrangement is where the freehold title is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the lessees have control and although a managing agent is usually employed where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. It would be prudent to discover as much as possible concerning the managing agents as they can either make your life much simpler or much more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you are often in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily matters such as the tidiness of the communal areas. Enquire of prospective neighbours what they think of them. In conclusion, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the relevant party and precisely what it includes. It would be prudent to discover if the the lease includes any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example it is reasonably common in Ewloe leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Ewloe. If you like the flatin Ewloe yet your dog can’t live with you then you will be faced difficult determination.

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Lease Extensions in Ewloe