I have recently realised that I have 68 years left on my flat in Limehouse. I now want to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the lessor. For most situations a specialist should be useful to try and locate and to produce an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Limehouse.

Expecting to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Limehouse. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring?
• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• 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.
• 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
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Limehouse.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just had a quarterly service charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is clear 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 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.

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

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Limehouse can be reduced if 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 buyers solicitors.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Limehouse state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. Should you fail to have the approvals in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand.
• Some Limehouse leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
• If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you have the original share certificate. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming process and delays many a Limehouse home move. Where a new share certificate is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.
• You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should verify this by asking your lawyers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the remaining number of years is less than 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £ 425000 garden flat in Limehouse next week. The landlords 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 such fees for a flat conveyance in Limehouse?

Limehouse conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not involves the purchaser’s conveyancer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries the majority will be content to do so. They are at liberty invoice a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

After years of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Limehouse. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

Where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to determine the amount due.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Limehouse 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.

Limehouse Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Can you inform me if there are any major works in the planning that will increase the maintenance charges? The prefered form of lease arrangement is if the freehold reversion is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this scenario the lessees benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is frequently retained where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.