Frank (my husband) and I may need to let out our Leighton Buzzard garden flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Leighton Buzzard conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

A small minority of properties in Leighton Buzzard do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

I have recently realised that I have Seventy years left on my lease in Leighton Buzzard. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to find the freeholder. For most situations a specialist would be useful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Leighton Buzzard.

I am employed by a busy estate agency in Leighton Buzzard where we see a few leasehold sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Leighton Buzzard conveyancing firms. Please can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the buyer?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is 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 purchaser.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Leighton Buzzard conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Leighton Buzzard conveyancing practice) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak 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 might be helpful:

• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing?

Completion in due on the disposal of our £350000 garden flat in Leighton Buzzard next Friday . The managing agents has quoted £372 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Leighton Buzzard?

Leighton Buzzard conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally involves fees being invoiced by management companies :

• Answering pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Leighton Buzzard
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• 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 Leighton Buzzard leasehold premises is £350. For Leighton Buzzard 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 answers.

I am the registered owner of a garden flat in Leighton Buzzard, conveyancing was carried out 7 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Leighton Buzzard with a long lease are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 2076

With 50 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £39,900 and £46,200 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

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Lease Extensions in Leighton Buzzard