Frequently asked questions relating to Gants Hill leasehold conveyancing
I have recently realised that I have Seventy years remaining on my lease in Gants Hill. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. 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 for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the lessor. In some cases a specialist would be useful to try and locate and to produce a report to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Gants Hill.
I’m about to sell my garden apartment in Gants Hill.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a half-yearly service charge demand – what should I do?
The sensible thing to do is pay the invoice 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 managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
I own a leasehold flat in Gants Hill. Conveyancing and Virgin Money mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing practitioner in Gants Hill who acted for me is not around.What should I do?
The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Gants Hill conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Gants Hill. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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. A critical element 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).
Completion in due on the sale of our £425000 garden flat in Gants Hill in six days. The freeholder has quoted £384 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Gants Hill?
Gants Hill conveyancing on leasehold apartments nine out of ten times necessitates administration charges levied by managing agents :
- Completing pre-contract questions
- Where consent is required before sale in Gants Hill
- Supplying insurance information
- Deeds of covenant upon sale
- Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale
Following years of dialogue we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Gants Hill. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Gants Hill conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Gants Hill flat is 59 & 59a Clarendon Gardens in February 2014. The Tribunals valuation for the freehold was £30,073.00 The remaining number of years on the lease was 65 and 61.
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