I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Hampden Pk. Before diving in I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Hampden Pk - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

There are only 72 years remaining on my flat in Hampden Pk. I now want to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What should I do?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, 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 lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to track down the lessor. On the whole a specialist would be useful to try and locate and to produce a report to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Hampden Pk.

Back In 2000, I bought a leasehold flat in Hampden Pk. Conveyancing and TSB mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Hampden Pk who previously acted has long since retired.Do I pay?

First contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Hampden Pk conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Last month I purchased a leasehold property in Hampden Pk. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I am employed by a reputable estate agency in Hampden Pk where we see a number of leasehold sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Hampden Pk conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can instigate 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 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 wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

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 purchaser.

Hampden Pk Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Its a good idea to find out as much as possible concerning the company managing the building as they can either make your life much simpler or uncomfortable. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day issues like the cleanliness of the common parts. You should not be shy to ask prospective neighbours if they are happy with their service. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and precisely what it includes. Where a Hampden Pk lease has less than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the flat. Check with your lender that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth finding out what this would cost. For most Hampden Pklease extensions you would need to own the premises for two years in order to be entitled to carry out a lease extension. The answer will be useful as a) areas could cause problems in the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where repairs remain unpaid b) if the tenants have an issue with the running of the building you will need to have all the details

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Hampden Pk