Examples of recent questions relating to leasehold conveyancing in Upper Clapton
My wife and I may need to let out our Upper Clapton garden flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We used a Upper Clapton conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?
Some leases for properties in Upper Clapton do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.
I only have 62 years left on my flat in Upper Clapton. I need to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What options are available to me?
On the basis that 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 mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent should be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Upper Clapton.
I have just started marketing my ground floor flat in Upper Clapton.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just received a yearly service charge demand – Do I pay up?
The sensible thing to do is discharge 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 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 tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two apartments in Upper Clapton which have about forty five years unexpired on the lease term. Do I need to be concerned?
A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the value of the lease reduces and it becomes more expensive to extend the lease. This is why it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We recommend you seek professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field
What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a Upper Clapton conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Upper Clapton conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you make enquires with several firms including non Upper Clapton conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be of use:
- How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
After years of correspondence we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Upper Clapton. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Most definitely. We can put you in touch with a Upper Clapton conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Upper Clapton property is Flat 25, Stamford Hill Mansions Stamford Hill in April 2010. The Tribunal therefore determined that the premium to be paid by the lessee to the freeholder for the extension of the lease should be £28,984.00 This case affected 1 flat. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 59 years.
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