I only have 68 years unexpired on my flat in Bowes Park. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the freeholder. For most situations a specialist may be useful to try and locate and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Bowes Park.

I’m about to sell my 2 bed apartment in Bowes Park.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a yearly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the service charge as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I've found a house that seems to be perfect, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have since found out that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Bowes Park. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Bowes Park are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Bowes Park in which case you should be looking for a Bowes Park conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the freeholder’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.

We expect to complete the disposal of our £ 325000 flat in Bowes Park next Wednesday . The managing agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Bowes Park?

Bowes Park conveyancing on leasehold flats typically involves fees being levied by freeholders :

• Completing conveyancing due diligence enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Bowes Park
• 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 solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Bowes Park leasehold premises is £350. For Bowes Park 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.

Following years of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Bowes Park. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

Most definitely. We can put you in touch with a Bowes Park conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Bowes Park premises is First Floor Flat 109 Lyndhurst Road in May 2010. Following a vesting order by Edmonton County Court on 29th October 2009 the Tribunal decided on a figure of £5,012 for a lease extension. This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 81.79 years.

What makes a Bowes Park lease defective?

Leasehold conveyancing in Bowes Park is not unique. All leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain provisions are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the premises
• Insurance obligations
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

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. Barclays , The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Alliance & Leicester all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, forcing the buyer to pull out.

I inherited a studio flat in Bowes Park, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1996. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable properties in Bowes Park with over 90 years remaining are worth £226,000. The ground rent is £60 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2089

With only 63 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £15,200 and £17,600 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.