I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Tynemouth. Before I set the wheels in motion I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Tynemouth - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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 Sixty One years left on my lease in Tynemouth. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. 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 lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. For most situations a specialist may be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce a report to be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Tynemouth.

I’m about to sell my ground floor flat in Tynemouth.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear 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 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I own a leasehold house in Tynemouth. Conveyancing and The Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Tynemouth who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Tynemouth conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Tynemouth conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Tynemouth conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Tynemouth conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be helpful:

• How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?

Tynemouth Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Generally speaking the outlay for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, although there some managing agents in Tynemouth obliged leasehold owners to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for larger repairs or maintenance. It is important to be aware whether changing the roof or some other significant cost is pending that will be shared amongst the leaseholders and may well dramatically increase the the service charges or necessitate a one time invoice. The majority of Tynemouth leasehold properties will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the building invoiced by the landlord. Where you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this contribution, usually in instalments throughout the year. This may differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. In all probability there will be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, normally this is not a significant amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to check it because occasionally it could be many hundreds of pounds.

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Lease Extensions in Tynemouth