My partner and I may need to rent out our Y Felinheli 1st floor flat temporarily due to a new job. We instructed a Y Felinheli conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

A small minority of properties in Y Felinheli do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

I only have 72 years remaining on my flat in Y Felinheli. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. 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 for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to track down the freeholder. In some cases an enquiry agent would be helpful to try and locate and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Y Felinheli.

Looking forward to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Y Felinheli. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• You should be sent a copy of the lease

I am attracted to a couple of maisonettes in Y Felinheli both have approximately fifty years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Y Felinheli is a deteriorating asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the marketability of the premises. For most buyers and banks, leases with less than eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property 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 premises 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 Y Felinheli 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 any new 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.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Y Felinheli conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Y Felinheli conveyancing firm) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Y Felinheli conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be useful:

• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

Y Felinheli Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

How much is the ground rent and service charge? The majority of Y Felinheli leasehold apartments will have a service charge for the upkeep of the building set by the management company. Should you purchase the property you will have to meet this liability, normally quarterly accross the year. This can differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met annual, normally this is not a large figure, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to check as on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds. Make sure you investigate if the the lease contains any unreasonable restrictions in the lease. For example it is very common in Y Felinheli leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Y Felinheli. If you love the apartmentin Y Felinheli but your cat can’t make the move with you then you will be faced difficult choice.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Y Felinheli