I only have Fifty years unexpired on my flat in Locksbottom. I now want to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What should I do?

If you qualify, 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. You will be obliged to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to track down the freeholder. For most situations an enquiry agent would be useful to try and locate and to produce an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Locksbottom.

I’m about to sell my 2 bed apartment in Locksbottom.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just received a quarterly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the service charge 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.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Locksbottom. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Locksbottom ?

The majority of houses in Locksbottom are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Locksbottom in which case you should be shopping around for a Locksbottom conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.

I own a leasehold house in Locksbottom. Conveyancing and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in Locksbottom who previously acted has now retired.Do I pay?

First contact HMLR to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Locksbottom conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £ 300000 flat in Locksbottom in 10 days. The management company has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Locksbottom?

Locksbottom conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes ordinarily involves fees being levied by management companies :

• Completing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Locksbottom
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Locksbottom leasehold premises is £350. For Locksbottom 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 the information.

Having spent months of dialogue we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Locksbottom. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Locksbottom conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Locksbottom flat is 1 Southlands Court Southlands Road in September 2013. The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal determined that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 was £30,541 This case related to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 50.57 years.

I invested in buying a 1st floor flat in Locksbottom, conveyancing was carried out 2007. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Locksbottom with an extended lease are worth £260,000. The ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2078

With 52 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £35,200 and £40,600 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.