I have recently realised that I have 68 years unexpired on my lease in Leyland. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

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 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 prove that you have done all that could be expected to locate the lessor. For most situations an enquiry agent should be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Leyland.

Expecting to complete next month on a studio apartment in Leyland. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they are sending me a report tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years
• Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?
• The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
• What you can do if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease?
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I've found a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Leyland. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Leyland ?

Most houses in Leyland are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Leyland so you should seriously consider looking for a Leyland conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the landlord’sconsent to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Leyland from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Leyland can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers representatives.
• Many landlords or Management Companies in Leyland levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Leyland.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Leyland leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord approving such works. Where you fail to have the consents in place you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand.
• Some Leyland leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Arranging a new share certificate can be a time consuming formality and slows down many a Leyland conveyancing deal. If a reissued share is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the sale of our £ 250000 maisonette in Leyland next Tuesday . The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Leyland?

Leyland conveyancing on leasehold apartments more often than not involves the buyer’s conveyancer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer such questions the majority will be content to assist. They are entitled charge a reasonable charge for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is above £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the charge is technically not due. In reality one has no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

Leyland Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

Can you tell me if there are any major works in the planning that will likely increase the maintenance fees? The majority of Leyland leasehold properties will have a service bill for the upkeep of the building levied by the landlord. Where you purchase the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, usually periodically accross the year. This can vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common areas. In all probability there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, normally this is not a exorbitant figure, say around £25-£75 but you need to enquire it because occasionally it can be prohibitively expensive.