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Questions and Answers: Hanworth leasehold conveyancing

There are only 68 years unexpired on my flat in Hanworth. I now want to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

On the basis that 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 enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to find the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent would be helpful to try and locate and to produce a report to be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Hanworth.

Expecting to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Hanworth. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they are sending me a report tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

  • Defining your legal entitlements in respect of the communal areas in the block.For instance, does the lease contain a right of way over a path or hallways?
  • Does the lease prevent you from renting out the flat, or having a home office for business
  • You must be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?
  • 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 For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Hanworth please enquire of your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Hanworth

    • My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Hanworth. Conveyancing and Virgin Money mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing practitioner in Hanworth who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

    First make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Hanworth conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

    Last month I purchased a leasehold property in Hanworth. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

    In a situation 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 be sure 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).

    What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Hanworth conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

    When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Hanworth conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you speak with two or three firms including non Hanworth conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be of use:

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

    • After months of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Hanworth. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

    Where there is a missing landlord or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to calculate the amount due.

    An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Hanworth property is 147 Redford Close in June 2012. The Tribunal determined the lease extension premium to be at £4,200 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 82.93 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Hanworth