Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Toddington. Before diving in I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Toddington - 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.

There are only Seventy years left on my lease in Toddington. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?

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 enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you have done all that could be expected to track down the landlord. In some cases a specialist would be helpful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document to be used as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Toddington.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Toddington. Conveyancing and Britannia mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Toddington who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. You do not need to incur the fees of a Toddington conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am looking at a couple of maisonettes in Toddington which have approximately fifty years left on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Toddington. The lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As the lease shortens the marketability of the lease reduces and it becomes more expensive to extend the lease. This is why it is advisable to extend the lease term. 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 extension can be a protracted process. We recommend you seek professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Toddington conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Toddington conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with two or three firms including non Toddington conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be useful:

• Can they put you in touch with client in Toddington who can give a testimonial?

Toddington Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Its a good idea to find out as much as you can concerning the company managing the block as they will either make living at the property much simpler or uncomfortable. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters like the upkeep of the common parts. You should not be afraid to ask other people if they are happy with them. On a final note, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the appropriate party and precisely how they are spending the funds. Are there any major works in the near future that will likely increase the service costs? Most Toddington leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the building set on behalf of the landlord. Where you buy the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, normally in instalments accross the year. This may differ from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant sum, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to check it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Toddington