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

If you qualify, 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 magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the freeholder. For most situations a specialist should be helpful to try and locate and to produce an expert document to be used as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Bromley.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Bromley. Conveyancing and Nottingham Building Society mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing solicitor in Bromley who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

First contact HMLR to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Bromley conveyancing lawyer 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.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of maisonettes in Bromley which have approximately fifty years unexpired on the lease term. should I be concerned?

A lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As the lease shortens the saleability of the lease deteriorate and it becomes more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is advisable to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We advise that you seek professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Bromley from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bromley can be bypassed if you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
• Many landlords or managing agents in Bromley charge for supplying 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 on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bromley.

In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Bromley leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Where you fail to have the consents in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer first.

If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as over rather than ongoing.

If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Arranging a re-issued share certificate is often a lengthy process and delays many a Bromley conveyancing deal. Where a new share certificate is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on our sale of a £150000 maisonette in Bromley in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £384 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Bromley?

Bromley conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually results in fees being levied by freeholders :

• Addressing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Bromley
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Bromley leasehold premises is £350. For Bromley 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 obliged to provide the information.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord to extend my lease without any joy. Can I make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Bromley conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Bromley conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Bromley residence is 26 Rhondda Grove in June 2009. The net price payable by the leaseholders as determined by the Tribunal was £3,015.13. This comprised £11,300 premium for the reversion less £8,284.87 costs as ordered by the County Court.