I today plan to offer on a house that seems to be perfect, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have since found out that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Ongar. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Ongar ?

Most houses in Ongar are freehold rather than 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 apparent that you are purchasing in Ongar in which case you should be shopping around for a Ongar conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

I own a leasehold house in Ongar. Conveyancing and Britannia mortgage organised. 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 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Ongar who previously acted has now retired.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to incur the fees of a Ongar conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am employed by a long established estate agent office in Ongar where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Ongar conveyancing firms. Please can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Ongar conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Ongar conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you speak with two or three firms including non Ongar conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?

Completion in due on our sale of a £475000 garden flat in Ongar on Thursday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Ongar?

Ongar conveyancing on leasehold flats normally necessitates the purchaser’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address these enquiries the majority will be content to assist. They are entitled charge a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the invoice is technically not due. In reality one has no option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to sell the property.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Ongar - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

For many Ongar leaseholds the cost for major works are not included within maintenance charges, although there some managing agents in Ongar require leasehold owners to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance. What restrictions exist in the Ongar Lease? Is anyone aware of any major works in the planning that will likely add a premium to the service charges?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Ongar