Questions and Answers: Sandy leasehold conveyancing
I only have Seventy years left on my lease in Sandy. I now want to extend my lease but my freeholder 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 an order 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 prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to locate the freeholder. For most situations a specialist should be useful to conduct investigations and to produce a report which can be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Sandy.
I am hoping to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in Sandy. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?
Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Sandy should include some of the following:
- Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
I've found a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Sandy. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?
The majority of houses in Sandy are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Sandy in which case you should be shopping around for a Sandy conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to dealing with 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 to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer should advise you fully on all the issues.
I am looking at a couple of flats in Sandy which have about forty five years remaining on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?
There are plenty of short leases in Sandy. The lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As the lease shortens the saleability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more costly to extend the lease. This is why it is often a good idea to increase the term of the lease. Sometimes it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend money on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you seek professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena
What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Sandy conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?
If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Sandy conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you speak with two or three firms including non Sandy conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be of use:
- If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?
I purchased a garden flat in Sandy, conveyancing was carried out 3 years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar properties in Sandy with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2084
With 61 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £18,100 and £20,800 plus legals.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.
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