There are only Fifty years left on my flat in Leighton Buzzard. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission 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 done all that could be expected to locate the freeholder. For most situations an enquiry agent should be useful to try and locate and prepare a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Leighton Buzzard.

Back In 2002, I bought a leasehold flat in Leighton Buzzard. Conveyancing and Santander mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Leighton Buzzard who previously acted has long since retired.What should I do?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Leighton Buzzard conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Leighton Buzzard. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

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).

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Leighton Buzzard conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Leighton Buzzard conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non Leighton Buzzard 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 helpful:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?
• How many lease extensions have they completed in Leighton Buzzard in the last twenty four months?

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Leighton Buzzard with the purpose of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Leighton Buzzard can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Leighton Buzzard state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. Where you dont have the approvals to hand do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer first.
• If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unsettled. You may have to bite the bullet and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over rather than unresolved.
• If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a new share certificate can be a time consuming formality and slows down many a Leighton Buzzard home move. If a new share certificate is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is less than 75 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

I acquired a 1st floor flat in Leighton Buzzard, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Corresponding flats in Leighton Buzzard with over 90 years remaining are worth £262,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2084

With 58 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £29,500 and £34,000 plus costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.