Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Sixty One years unexpired on my lease in North Woolwich. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What are my options?

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 mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to find the landlord. On the whole an enquiry agent should be helpful to carry out a search and to produce a report to be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering North Woolwich.

I have just started marketing my basement apartment in North Woolwich.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a yearly service charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the invoice 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 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 today plan to offer on a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since discovered that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in North Woolwich. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in North Woolwich ?

The majority of houses in North Woolwich are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in North Woolwich so you should seriously consider shopping around for a North Woolwich conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the landlord’spermission to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your lawyer will advise you fully on all the issues.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a North Woolwich conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a North Woolwich conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non North Woolwich conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be helpful:

• How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
• Can they put you in touch with client in North Woolwich who can give a testimonial?

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in North Woolwich from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in North Woolwich can be reduced where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers representatives.
• The majority landlords or Management Companies in North Woolwich charge for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. 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 usual reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in North Woolwich.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in North Woolwich state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. If you dont have the approvals in place do not contact the landlord without contacting your lawyer first.
• If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to verify this by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is below 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without getting anywhere. Can I make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a North Woolwich conveyancing firm to help?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a North Woolwich conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a North Woolwich premises is 46 Credon Road in January 2014. On 11 September 2013 Deputy District Judge Price sitting at the Bow County Court made a vesting order that the freeholder surrender his lease and be granted a new lease of the Premises on such terms as may be determined by the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).The appropriate sum as concluded by the Tribunal was £7225 This case related to 1 flat. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 69.77 years.

I inherited a split level flat in North Woolwich, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in North Woolwich with an extended lease are worth £166,000. The ground rent is £60 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2104

You have 78 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £10,500 and £12,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.