Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years remaining on my lease in Primrose Hill. I need 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 submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have done all that could be expected to find the freeholder. On the whole an enquiry agent should be helpful to try and locate and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Primrose Hill.

I am hoping to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Primrose Hill. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• The physical extent of the property. This will be the apartment itself but might include a loft or basement if appropriate.
• Whether the lease restricts you from renting out the flat, or working from home
• I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
• 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.
• The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
• What you can do if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease?

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Primrose Hill. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Primrose Hill ?

The majority of houses in Primrose Hill are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Primrose Hill so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Primrose Hill conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is located on an estate. Your solicitor should report to you on the legal implications.

I own a leasehold house in Primrose Hill. Conveyancing and Lloyds TSB Bank mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Primrose Hill who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Primrose Hill conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am employed by a reputable estate agent office in Primrose Hill where we see a few leasehold sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local Primrose Hill conveyancing solicitors. Could you confirm whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without getting anywhere. Can I apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Primrose Hill conveyancing firm to assist?

Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a Primrose Hill conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Primrose Hill premises is Flat 2 27 Mackeson Road in December 2012. The Tribunal assessed the value of the lease extension premium at £35,435 and rounded the figure to £35,500 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 64.77 years.

I inherited a basement flat in Primrose Hill, conveyancing was carried out in 2002. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable properties in Primrose Hill with an extended lease are worth £189,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 2078

You have 52 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £32,300 and £37,400 as well as 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 in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously 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.