I am intending to rent out my leasehold flat in Kirkby In Furness. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Even though your last Kirkby In Furness conveyancing solicitor is not available you can check your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the property. The rule is that if the lease is silent, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to seek permission via your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet without first obtaining permission. The consent is not allowed to be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years unexpired on my lease in Kirkby In Furness. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What are my options?

On the basis that 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 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 prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to find the lessor. On the whole an enquiry agent may be helpful to try and locate and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Kirkby In Furness.

I've found a house that appears to be perfect, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Kirkby In Furness. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Kirkby In Furness are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Kirkby In Furness so you should seriously consider looking for a Kirkby In Furness conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

I own a leasehold house in Kirkby In Furness. Conveyancing and The Mortgage Works mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing solicitor in Kirkby In Furness 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 be sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Kirkby In Furness conveyancing practitioner 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 landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Are there common problems that you encounter in leases for Kirkby In Furness properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Kirkby In Furness is not unique. Most leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the building
• A duty to insure the building
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. HSBC Bank, Chelsea Building Society, and Alliance & Leicester all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to withdraw.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Kirkby In Furness - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? Best to be warned if changing the roof or some other significant cost is coming up to be shared by the tenants and could well materially increase the the service costs or require a one off invoice. The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the leaseholders benefit from control and even though a managing agent is often retained where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Kirkby In Furness