I am intending to let out my leasehold apartment in Hanwell. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for permission?

Your lease dictates the relationship between the freeholder and you the leaseholder; in particular, it will set out if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain conditions. The rule is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. The majority of leases in Hanwell do not contain an absolute prevention of subletting – such a provision would adversely affect the market value the property. Instead, there is usually a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a duplicate of the sublease.

I only have 68 years remaining on my flat in Hanwell. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What are my options?

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 enable the lease to be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have done all that could be expected to track down the freeholder. On the whole a specialist would be useful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document which can be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer both on investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Hanwell.

You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

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

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

• Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?
• You should be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
• 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.
• What you can do if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease?

For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Hanwell please enquire of your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Hanwell

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Hanwell from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Hanwell can be reduced where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• The majority landlords or managing agents in Hanwell levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. 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 Hanwell.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Hanwell state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord consenting to such works. Should you dont have the approvals in place you should not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer in advance.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a replacement share certificate can be a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Hanwell home move. Where a reissued share certificate is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable double-check by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

We expect to complete the disposal of our £ 375000 apartment in Hanwell on Thursday in a week. The managing agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Hanwell?

Hanwell conveyancing on leasehold flats normally necessitates fees being invoiced by management companies :

• Addressing pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Hanwell
• 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 Hanwell leasehold property is £350. For Hanwell 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 answers.

Despite our best efforts, we have been unsuccessful in trying to purchase the freehold in Hanwell. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

if there is a missing landlord or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to calculate the price payable.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Hanwell property is 6 Jessamine Road in August 2013. The Tribunals valuation (as annexed to the decision) calculated the amount payable as £18,355 for the freehold reversion This case was in relation to 2 flats. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 72.39 years.

I inherited a 1 bedroom flat in Hanwell, conveyancing was carried out 5 years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar flats in Hanwell with an extended lease are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £60 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2103

With just 77 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £11,400 and £13,200 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.