I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Frant. Before diving in I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and almost all are in Frant - 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 62 years left on my lease in Frant. I now wish to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, 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 enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to track down the freeholder. On the whole an enquiry agent should be useful to conduct investigations and prepare a report which can be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Frant.

Planning to complete next month on a studio apartment in Frant. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Frant should include some of the following:

• How long the lease is You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and informed of the importance of the 80 year mark
• Defining your rights in respect of common areas in the block.E.G., does the lease permit a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
• Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I own a leasehold flat in Frant. Conveyancing and Yorkshire Building Society 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 1998. The conveyancing practitioner in Frant who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to instruct a Frant conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note 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 looking at a two flats in Frant both have approximately fifty years remaining on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are plenty of short leases in Frant. The lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As the lease gets shorter the marketability of the lease deteriorate and it becomes more costly to extend the lease. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage companies may be unwilling to lend money on such properties. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We advise that you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena

Leasehold Conveyancing in Frant - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

It would be a good idea to investigate if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example it is very common in Frant leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Frant. If you like the apartmentin Frant however your dog is not allowed to live with you then you will be faced difficult compromise. Generally speaking the outlay for major works are not built into the maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Frant obliged leasehold owners to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for major repairs or maintenance.