Residential Leaseholders' Handbook

Residential Leaseholders' Handbook explains in plain language everything leaseholders and their advisers need to know in relation to long residential leases. Among the common problems it tackles are: *absent landlords *spiralling service charges *the right to be consulted on significant or long term service charge items *how to challenge excessive charges *how to gain control from difficult or exploitive landlords *how to set up a management company The book begins with the legal framework of a typical ground lease and its main provisions such as: *responsibility for repairs, insurance and management of a building. *what does the covenant for ""quiet enjoyment"" really mean? *can a lease really be terminated if ground rent is overdue by a few days? A badly worded lease can adversely affect the resale of the property. The author explains: *what lenders look for in a residential lease *how leaseholders can insist that their lease is amended to meet lenders' requirements *the issues relating to assignment, subletting and alteration of leasehold premises. Setting up their own management company and buying out their ground landlord is one way in which leaseholders can collectively take control of their own affairs and make decisions on a democratic basis. Surprisingly there are now four separate statutory regimes that enable leaseholders to do this including the ""right of first refusal"" conferred on residential leaseholders before landlords can sell their interest to a third party. The author also explains the right of individual leaseholders to extend their leases provided basic qualifying criteria can be met. Extensive use of real life scenarios, landmark cases and some fictitious case studies illustrate how leasehold law works in practice and enables readers to effectively assess their position. Charles Ward qualified as a solicitor in December 1976 and has for many years specialised in property work. In 1984 he was also admitted as a Legal Associate of the Royal Town Planning Institue. Charles has a mixed professional background spanning private practice, industry and local government. From 1984 to 1998 he worked as a conveyancing solicitor with Unilever Plc. Between 1998 and 1992 he worked as a property lawyer with Capsticks solicitors. This was followed by a series of back-toback assignments which included Bedford Borough Council, Epping Forest District Council and Unilever. Since 1997 he has worked as a senior property and contracts lawyer with the London Borough of Sutton. He has had first hand experience in setting up and running a leaseholders' management company that assumed ownership and management of a block of flats in circumstances where there was no traceable ground landlord. He has written extensively for Estates Gazette, ""Mainly for Students"" as well as for other professional journals including Local Government Chronicle and Legal Executive Journal. From 1996 to 2000 Charles was also a senior examiner with the Institute of Legal Executives and still assists with this work.Ward, Charles is the author of 'Residential Leaseholders' Handbook ', published 2006 under ISBN 9780728204904 and ISBN 0728204908.