Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Seventy years remaining on my lease in Harrow Weald. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is absent. What are my options?

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 granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. On the whole an enquiry agent should be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Harrow Weald.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Harrow Weald.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just received a yearly service charge demand – what should I do?

It best that you discharge 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 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 am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Harrow Weald. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Harrow Weald are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Harrow Weald so you should seriously consider looking for a Harrow Weald conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your lawyer should appraise you on the various issues.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Harrow Weald. Conveyancing and Bank of Scotland mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Harrow Weald who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Harrow Weald conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Harrow Weald with the intention of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Harrow Weald can be reduced where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Harrow Weald leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. Where you dont have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer in the first instance.
• If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where a dispute is unsettled. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over rather than ongoing.
• If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Organising a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming process and frustrates many a Harrow Weald home move. If a duplicate share is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible.
• You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check by asking your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is less than 75 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

My wife and I have hit a brick wall in negotiating a lease extension in Harrow Weald. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a Harrow Weald conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Harrow Weald premises is flat 93b Welldon Crescent in May 2009. The Tribunals valuation for a 90-year lease extension of this fat was £13,171 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 75.25 years.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Harrow Weald - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Please tell me if there are any major works in the near future that will likely increase the service fees? The best form of lease arrangement is where the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this arrangement the lessees benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often retained where it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.