Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 68 years unexpired on my flat in Poynton. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. 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 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. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to find the lessor. In some cases a specialist should be helpful to try and locate and to produce an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Poynton.

I've found a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have just discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Poynton. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Poynton are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Poynton in which case you should be shopping around for a Poynton conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your lawyer will appraise you on the various issues.

I am looking at a couple of apartments in Poynton both have in the region of fifty years remaining on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Poynton. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As a lease gets shorter the saleability of the lease deteriorate and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is advisable to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage companies may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Poynton from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Poynton can be reduced if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers conveyancers.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Poynton state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. If you fail to have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand.
• A minority of Poynton leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Arranging a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy formality and slows down many a Poynton conveyancing deal. If a reissued share is needed, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check via your solicitors. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

All being well we will complete the disposal of our £ 175000 garden flat in Poynton on Friday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Poynton?

For most leasehold sales in Poynton conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Answering pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Poynton
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Poynton leasehold premises is £350. For Poynton conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide the information.

I acquired a 1 bedroom flat in Poynton, conveyancing having been completed 4 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Poynton with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The ground rent is £60 per annum. The lease runs out on 21st October 2097

With 71 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £15,200 and £17,600 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.