There are only 68 years left on my lease in Red Lodge. I now wish to get lease extension but my freeholder is absent. What should I do?

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 mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the lessor. On the whole an enquiry agent would be helpful to try and locate and to produce a report to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Red Lodge.

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor flat in Red Lodge.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just received a yearly service charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should 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 unless 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to be perfect, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Red Lodge. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Red Lodge ?

Most houses in Red Lodge are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Red Lodge in which case you should be shopping around for a Red Lodge conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £450000 apartment in Red Lodge on Monday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £396 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Red Lodge?

Red Lodge conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not involves the purchaser’s lawyer sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions most will be content to assist. They are at liberty charge a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some transactions it exceeds £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that one has little option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to sell the property.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Red Lodge what are the most common lease problems?

Leasehold conveyancing in Red Lodge is not unique. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain sections are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the building
• Insurance obligations
• A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

You may have difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Birmingham Midshires, Barnsley Building Society, and Aldermore all have express conveyancing instructions 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, obliging the buyer to pull out.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Red Lodge - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

Many Red Lodge leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the building set on behalf of the landlord. Should you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this amount, normally quarterly throughout the year. This may be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay annual, ordinarily this is not a large amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to enquire it because occasionally it can be prohibitively expensive. What is the length of the lease? Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that will add a premium to the maintenance costs?

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Lease Extensions in Red Lodge