Helen (my wife) and I may need to let out our Rochford 1st floor flat temporarily due to a new job. We used a Rochford conveyancing firm in 2003 but they have closed and we did not think at the time seek any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

The lease governs the relationship between the landlord and you the flat owner; in particular, it will indicate if subletting is not allowed, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. The majority of leases in Rochford do not contain subletting altogether – such a clause would adversely affect the market value the flat. In most cases there is simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a duplicate of the tenancy agreement.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 62 years remaining on my lease in Rochford. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What should I do?

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 enable the lease to be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. In some cases a specialist may be helpful to try and locate and prepare a report to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Rochford.

Planning to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Rochford. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they will have a report out to me next week. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor flat in Rochford.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a yearly service charge invoice – what should I do?

It best that you pay the invoice 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 managing agents 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I am a negotiator for a long established estate agency in Rochford where we have witnessed a number of flat sales put at risk due to short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Rochford conveyancing solicitors. Please can you clarify whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease 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 proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

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 purchaser.

Rochford Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

The best form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the tenants benefit from control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often retained if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent employed by the leaseholders. Many Rochford leasehold properties will have a service charge for maintenance of the building invoiced on behalf of the freeholder. Where you buy the property you will have to pay this liability, normally periodically accross the year. This can vary 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 yearly, normally this is not a significant amount, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to check it because sometimes it can be surprisingly expensive. What is the name of the managing agents?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Rochford