Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 72 years remaining on my lease in Liskeard. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?

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 mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the lessor. For most situations a specialist may be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be used as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Liskeard.

Looking forward to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in Liskeard. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Liskeard should include some of the following:

• Setting out your legal entitlements in relation to common areas in the building.By way of example, does the lease permit a right of way over an accessway or staircase?
• Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring?
• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
• The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
• 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
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Liskeard. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

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).

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Liskeard conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Liskeard conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Liskeard conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be of use:

• Can they put you in touch with client in Liskeard who can give a testimonial?
• What are the costs for lease extension work?

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Liskeard from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Liskeard can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers representatives.
• Many landlords or managing agents in Liskeard levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Liskeard.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Liskeard state that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. Where you dont have the paperwork to hand you should not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in advance.
• Some Liskeard leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand 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 purchasers or their solicitors.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Liskeard home move. Where a duplicate share is necessary, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

Liskeard Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying