Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Seventy years unexpired on my lease in South Shields. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. 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 an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the landlord. On the whole a specialist should be useful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing South Shields.

Looking forward to complete next month on a garden flat in South Shields. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The physical extent of the property. This will be the property itself but may include a loft or cellar if appropriate.

I have just started marketing my garden apartment in South Shields.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

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

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have just discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a leasehold house in South Shields. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in South Shields are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in South Shields so you should seriously consider looking for a South Shields conveyancing practitioner and check that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First 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 will likely included provisions such as requiring the landlord’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer should advise you fully on all the issues.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of apartments in South Shields which have approximately 50 years remaining on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in South Shields is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the salability of the property. For most buyers and lenders, leases with less than eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with South Shields conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

South Shields Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

The prefered form of lease arrangement is where the freehold title is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the tenants enjoy control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often employed where it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. How long is the Lease? Make sure you find out if the the lease includes any adverse restrictions in the lease. For instance some leases prohibit pets being allowed in in a block in South Shields. If you like the apartmentin South Shields yet your dog is not allowed to make the move with you then you will be presented with a hard choice.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in South Shields