Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years remaining on my flat in Polegate. I now want to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, 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 lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to find the lessor. For most situations an enquiry agent may be useful to carry out a search and prepare a report which can be used as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Polegate.

Expecting to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Polegate. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they are sending me a report on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions

I work for a reputable estate agent office in Polegate where we have experienced a few leasehold sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Polegate conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible 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 finding a Polegate conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Polegate conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with two or three firms including non Polegate conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be of use:

• How many lease extensions have they carried out in Polegate in the last year?

Are there frequently found deficiencies that you witness in leases for Polegate properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Polegate is not unique. All leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain clauses are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the property
• Insurance obligations
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Lloyds TSB Bank, Virgin Money, and Barclays Direct all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

Polegate Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

If a Polegate lease has fewer than eighty years it will affect the salability of the apartment. Check with your bank that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely require a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have been the owner of the property for two years before you are eligible to extend the lease. Plenty Polegate leasehold apartments will have a service charge for maintenance of the block invoiced by the freeholder. If you acquire the property you will have to meet this liability, usually quarterly during the year. This could be anything from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal areas. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a large figure, say around £25-£75 but you should to check as occasionally it could be many hundreds of pounds. Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge payments?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Polegate