I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Sydenham. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Sydenham ?

Most houses in Sydenham are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Sydenham in which case you should be shopping around for a Sydenham conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the landlord’sconsent to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is located on an estate. Your solicitor will report to you on the legal implications.

I own a leasehold house in Sydenham. Conveyancing and Coventry Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Sydenham who acted for me is not around.What should I do?

First contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Sydenham conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am looking at a couple of flats in Sydenham both have approximately forty five years left on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Sydenham. The lease is a right to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease gets shorter the value of the lease deteriorate and it becomes more expensive to extend the lease. This is why it is often a good idea to extend the lease term. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you seek professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this field

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Sydenham. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, 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 ensure 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).

Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Sydenham conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Sydenham conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you speak with two or three firms including non Sydenham conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be helpful:

• How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation?
• What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

Having spent months of correspondence we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Sydenham. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

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

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Sydenham residence is Flat 1 4 Border Crescent in March 2012. the Tribunal decided that the sum payable by the Applicants to the Respondent in respect of the new lease for the subject property should be £11,616.00 (ElevenThousand and Six Hundred and Sixteen Pounds) This case affected 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 72.04 years.

Sydenham Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

Who takes responsibility for maintaining and repairing the building? It would be sensible to discover as much as you can about the managing agents as they will either make your living at the property much simpler or much more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day issues such as the tidiness of the common parts. Enquire of prospective neighbours what they think of them. In conclusion, be sure you understand the dates that the maintenance charges are due to the appropriate party and precisely what you get for your money.