There are only Sixty One years remaining on my flat in Farnham Royal. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have used your best endeavours to find the freeholder. On the whole an enquiry agent may be helpful to carry out a search and to produce a report to be used as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Farnham Royal.

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Farnham Royal. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Farnham Royal ?

The majority of houses in Farnham Royal are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Farnham Royal so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Farnham Royal conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Farnham Royal. Conveyancing and Chelsea Building Society mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Farnham Royal who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Farnham Royal conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Farnham Royal conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Farnham Royal conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Farnham Royal conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be useful:

• What volume of lease extensions have they carried out in Farnham Royal in the last 12 months?

What are the charges for lease extension conveyancing?

Completion in due on our sale of a £250000 garden flat in Farnham Royal in 8 days. The landlords agents has quoted £336 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Farnham Royal?

Farnham Royal conveyancing on leasehold flats nine out of ten times necessitates administration charges invoiced by management companies :

• Addressing conveyancing due diligence enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Farnham Royal
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Farnham Royal leasehold property is £350. For Farnham Royal 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.

I bought a leasehold flat in Farnham Royal, conveyancing having been completed in 2006. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Farnham Royal with over 90 years remaining are worth £257,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2090

You have 70 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £13,300 and £15,400 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

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Lease Extensions in Farnham Royal