I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Sacriston. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Sacriston - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title.For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I have recently realised that I have 72 years unexpired on my lease in Sacriston. I am keen to extend my lease but my freeholder is missing. What should I do?

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 extended by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. On the whole a specialist would be useful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document which can be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Sacriston.

I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed flat in Sacriston.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a yearly service charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is clear 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 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.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Sacriston. Conveyancing and Santander mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing practitioner in Sacriston who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to incur the fees of a Sacriston conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am looking at a two maisonettes in Sacriston which have approximately forty five years remaining on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Sacriston. 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 reduces and it becomes more costly to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is often a good idea to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area

Sacriston Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

Be sure to investigate if the the lease includes any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example it is very common in Sacriston leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Sacriston. If you love the flatin Sacriston but your dog can’t move with you then you will be presented with a hard choice. If a Sacriston lease has fewer than eighty years it will impact the value of the apartment. It is worth checking with your bank that they are happy with the length of the lease. A short lease means that you will probably have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out what this will be. For most Sacristonlease extensions you will need to own the premises for 24 months before you are eligible to carry out a lease extension. Is the freehold owned collectively by the leaseholders?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Sacriston