There are only Sixty One years unexpired on my flat in Torrington. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have used your best endeavours to find the lessor. For most situations an enquiry agent should be useful to conduct investigations and prepare 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 application to the County Court covering Torrington.

Planning to complete next month on a leasehold property in Torrington. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Torrington should include some of the following:

• You should receive a copy of the lease

The physical extent of the property. This will be the property itself but might include a loft or basement if appropriate.

Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?

Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)

The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.

What you can do if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease?

What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Torrington please ask your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Torrington

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Torrington. Conveyancing and Accord Mortgages Ltd mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Torrington who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

First make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Torrington conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Torrington with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Torrington can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers lawyers.
• The majority freeholders or managing agents in Torrington charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Torrington.

If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Torrington state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. Should you fail to have the paperwork in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor in advance.

If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you have the original share document. Arranging a duplicate share certificate is often a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Torrington conveyancing transaction. If a reissued share is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but you should verify this via your solicitors. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £200000 apartment in Torrington on Friday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £360 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Torrington?

Torrington conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally necessitates administration charges raised by freeholders :

• Completing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Torrington
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Torrington leasehold premises is £350. For Torrington conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide the information.

I own a leasehold flat in Torrington, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Torrington with over 90 years remaining are worth £250,000. The ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease expires on 21st October 2099

With 74 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range 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. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.

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Lease Extensions in Torrington