There are only 72 years remaining on my lease in Temple Fortune. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is absent. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, 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 enable the lease to be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the freeholder. In some cases an enquiry agent would be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce a report to be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Temple Fortune.

I am hoping to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in Temple Fortune. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they report fully tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
• An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• 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
• What you can do if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease?

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement apartment in Temple Fortune.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

It best that you 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 management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless 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 appears to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Temple Fortune. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Temple Fortune are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Temple Fortune in which case you should be shopping around for a Temple Fortune conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £ 300000 maisonette in Temple Fortune in 10 days. The managing agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Temple Fortune?

Temple Fortune conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not involves the buyer’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to such questions most will be content to do so. They are entitled charge a reasonable charge for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it exceeds £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, without which the invoice is technically not due. Reality however dictates that one has little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can I apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Temple Fortune conveyancing firm to help?

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

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Temple Fortune residence is Flat 2 2 Netherfield Road in April 2010. The Tribunale held that premium payable for a 90 year extension to the existing Lease should be £7,705. This case related to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 76 years.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Temple Fortune - A selection of Queries before buying

Make sure you find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example some leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Temple Fortune. If you love the propertyin Temple Fortune however your cat can’t move with you then you will be faced difficult decision. The prefered form of lease structure is where the freehold reversion is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the leaseholders enjoy being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is frequently employed where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves.