I only have Fifty years remaining on my flat in Heckmondwike. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. 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 mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to locate the lessor. In some cases an enquiry agent should be useful to conduct investigations and prepare a report to be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Heckmondwike.

You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

I am hoping to exchange soon on a basement flat in Heckmondwike. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The total extent of the demise. This will be the apartment itself but might incorporate a roof space or cellar if applicable.
• Setting out your legal entitlements in relation to common areas in the block.For instance, does the lease contain a right of way over a path or staircase?
• Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring?
• You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Heckmondwike please enquire of your lawyer in advance of your conveyancing in Heckmondwike

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Heckmondwike. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

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. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part 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).

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Heckmondwike conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Heckmondwike conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you speak with several firms including non Heckmondwike conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?
• How many lease extensions have they conducted in Heckmondwike in the last year?

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £ 175000 apartment in Heckmondwike next Friday . The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Heckmondwike?

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

• Answering pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Heckmondwike
• 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 Heckmondwike leasehold premises is £350. For Heckmondwike 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 supply the information.

I acquired a 2 bed flat in Heckmondwike, conveyancing having been completed in 2006. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Corresponding flats in Heckmondwike with a long lease are worth £223,000. The ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease ends on 21st October 2089

With 63 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £19,000 and £22,000 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.