Recently asked questions relating to Great Barford leasehold conveyancing
I only have Fifty years remaining on my flat in Great Barford. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?
If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application 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. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to track down the freeholder. For most situations an enquiry agent would be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document which can be used as evidence 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 absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Great Barford.
Due to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Great Barford. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they are sending me a report on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?
The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Great Barford should include some of the following:
- You should be sent a copy of the lease
Back In 2003, I bought a leasehold house in Great Barford. Conveyancing and Halifax mortgage are in place. 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 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Great Barford who acted for me is not around.What should I do?
The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Great Barford conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
I am a negotiator for a busy estate agency in Great Barford where we see a few leasehold sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Great Barford conveyancing solicitors. Could you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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.
All being well we will complete the sale of our £325000 garden flat in Great Barford in just under a week. The managing agents has quoted £384 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Great Barford?
Great Barford conveyancing on leasehold apartments usually involves the buyer’s solicitor sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries the majority will be content to assist. They are entitled invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration fees, without which the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that you have no option but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to complete the sale of your home.
I acquired a leasehold flat in Great Barford, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2004. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Great Barford with a long lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease ends on 21st October 2072
With 52 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £31,400 and £36,200 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.
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