My husband and I may need to rent out our Pinnerwood Park garden flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Pinnerwood Park conveyancing firm in 2004 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to get any guidance as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your last Pinnerwood Park conveyancing solicitor is no longer around you can review your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the property. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are silent, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to seek permission from your landlord or some other party before subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet in the absence of first obtaining consent. Such consent is not allowed to be unreasonably turned down. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

There are only Seventy years left on my flat in Pinnerwood Park. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to track down the lessor. In some cases a specialist would be useful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document to be used as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Pinnerwood Park.

Due to complete next month on a ground floor flat in Pinnerwood Park. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Pinnerwood Park should include some of the following:

• Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Pinnerwood Park. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Pinnerwood Park ?

Most houses in Pinnerwood Park are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Pinnerwood Park in which case you should be looking for a Pinnerwood Park conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will report to you on the legal implications.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £250000 maisonette in Pinnerwood Park in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £336 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Pinnerwood Park?

Pinnerwood Park conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally involves the purchaser’s solicitor sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to such questions most will be willing to assist. They are at liberty levy a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The management information fee invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. In reality you have little option but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

Pinnerwood Park Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask before buying

What restrictions exist in the Pinnerwood Park Lease? Is anyone aware of any major works in the planning that could add a premium to the maintenance fees? Generally speaking the outlay for major works tend not to be wrapped into the service charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Pinnerwood Park obliged tenants to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Pinnerwood Park