I have recently realised that I have Fifty years remaining on my lease in Shildon. I need to get lease extension but my freeholder 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 magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to locate the freeholder. On the whole a specialist should be helpful to try and locate and to produce a report to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. 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 Shildon.

Planning to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Shildon. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they report fully next week. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Shildon 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 am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Shildon. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Shildon ?

Most houses in Shildon are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Shildon so you should seriously consider looking for a Shildon 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 such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will advise you fully on all the issues.

I am employed by a long established estate agency in Shildon where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Shildon conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities 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. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

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 buyer.

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Shildon what are the most common lease defects?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Shildon. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the premises
• A duty to insure the building
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

You could encounter 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. Nationwide Building Society, Virgin Money, and Platform Home Loans Ltd all have very detailed 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 provide security, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Shildon - Sample of Questions you should consider before buying

The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the tenants have being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is frequently employed if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Be sure to find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example plenty of leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Shildon. If you like the propertyin Shildon but your dog can’t make the move with you then you will be presented with a hard choice. It would be wise to find out as much as you can about the company managing the block as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to day to day issues like the upkeep of the common parts. Enquire of other people what they think of their management. On a final note, be sure you understand the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and specifically what it includes.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Shildon