I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Wolviston. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Wolviston - 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.

I have recently realised that I have 68 years left on my flat in Wolviston. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. 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 for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the freeholder. For most situations a specialist should be useful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Wolviston.

I own a leasehold flat in Wolviston. Conveyancing and Platform Home Loans Ltd mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in Wolviston who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

First make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Wolviston conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am attracted to a two apartments in Wolviston both have approximately 50 years unexpired on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Wolviston. The lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the saleability of the lease reduces and it becomes more expensive to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field

What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Wolviston conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Wolviston conveyancing firm) it is imperative 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 Wolviston conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be of use:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
• What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

Wolviston Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

It is important to be aware whether changing the roof or some other major work is due in the near future that will be shared amongst the leasehold owners and will dramatically increase the the maintenance costs or necessitate a specific payment.