There are only 72 years left on my lease in Trefnant. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What are my options?

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 mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to locate the landlord. On the whole a specialist should be useful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Trefnant.

I’m about to sell my basement apartment in Trefnant.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just received a half-yearly service charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the service charge 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 management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until 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.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Trefnant. Conveyancing and Bank of Scotland mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Trefnant who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to instruct a Trefnant conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am looking at a two flats in Trefnant which have about 50 years left on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As a lease shortens the saleability of the lease deteriorate and results in it becoming more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We advise that you seek professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on our sale of a £250000 maisonette in Trefnant in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £360 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Trefnant?

Trefnant conveyancing on leasehold apartments often necessitates the buyer’s conveyancer sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address these enquiries the majority will be content to assist. They are entitled levy a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to sell the property.

Trefnant Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Is there a share of the freehold? It would be sensible to find out as much as possible regarding the company managing the block as they can either make your life much easier or problematic. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters such as the tidiness of the common parts. Ask other people if they are happy with their service. In conclusion, be sure you know the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and precisely how they are spending that money. Many Trefnant leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the building invoiced on behalf of the management company. Should you purchase the apartment you will have to meet this liability, normally quarterly accross the year. This may be anything from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal areas. There will also be a ground rent to be met yearly, normally this is not a large sum, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to enquire as occasionally it can be surprisingly expensive.

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Lease Extensions in Trefnant