Confuddler

Worth remembering you're dealing with a bereaved family and the items were a bonus for you rather than something you explicitly purchased. I'd let them take the items and be happy with the joy experienced when doing a nice thing for another human.

Or... seek advice before purchasing. Leases can be extended or the lease (sorry, freehold reversion) bought. These things have predictable / knowable / confirmable costs that you can then factor into the price you are prepared to pay. Yes, it's more complicated than desirable but it doesn't need to be a barrier to purchasing a property.

I'd imagine you'll see something like this: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.0034338,-1.2831591,3a,66.6y,41.82h,87.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swQnu7cWcKtptLhHWwQnKeA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

As someone pointed out earlier, the new IKEA is about to impact the value of those retail units significantly. I believe there is a planning application already in to provide them all with a facelift. Rents will go up, the stores whose business model requires low rent will move out and a wave of (probably) upmarket furniture stores will move in.

I've quite a few favourites: Oldies: Town hall (and the other original buildings around there) City hall Leopold square Central library Steel City house Modern: Crucible Winter gardens Moorfoot (Needs a rethink) Parkhill

Well, I think I have. I used the form linked by leasehold advisory service and posted it about a week after moving in so it should have been there within 14 days. It sounds like Coppen invoice for it regardless so I don't get to find out if I did actually miss anything until such time as I sell.

As RJRB said, you can avoid mess by boarding over what's there. The plaster dust is not even the worst - the loft dust can be much nastier. Another top tip is to cover/seal-off everything. I only discovered the dust behind a radiator after having a carpet fitted .

Hi Jeffrey, I'm appealing for your free advice again. My solicitor claims that no-one gets out of paying Coppen the insurance administration charge and that he will claim it back at the point you try to sell regardless (at a point when the delays he could introduce mean you are over a barrel). Are you aware if this is true? You have given the impression that if a leaseholder plays by the rules that Coppen won't hold it against them.

There's no such thing as legal 'tax efficiency devices' the tax due is the tax due. An advisor can help you to calculate this and ensure you make use of any deductions and reliefs that you are properly entitled to. https://www.gov.uk/tax-sell-property/work-out-your-gain is a good place to start.

I like the small scale of buildings in the city (compared to Manchester/Leeds). I like that it feels small, even though it's pretty big. I like that people say thank you to bus drivers.

This isn't very commonly known - I don't remember any advice sites mentioning anything other than 'expect to pay extra as there is more paperwork'. I explicitly mentioned that we were buying leasehold when I sought quotes. I went with a local firm - would expect Sheffield conveyancers to have more knowledge than most.

I don't know about blocks of flats but, for both properties I have owned, Yorkshire water had a policy of fixing the first leak for free. This was external pipes only. At my last house, they did a basic fix - about 2ft of lead pipe. At the current house they replaced the entire pipe from meter (in the street) to where it enters the house. They were clear in both cases that any further repairs would be my expense.

Thanks Jeffrey, I wish my actual conveyancer could answer questions as clearly. He thought it was a grey area and I might as well pay it to keep Coppen off my back.

This is a great thread. Thanks Jeffrey for the insight into Coppen. I'm buying a house for which they are the FR. In the paperwork we have seen, the current occupier has paid a significant amount (£hundreds) of charges for missed payments and insurance clause infringements. Our solicitor is still chasing to ensure all permissions were in place for the extension. A couple of questions: There appears to be an annual £45 insurance approval charge. If we provide notice of insurance cover in the right time and format can he charge the £45 fee? (ie is he just not mentioning that for his own benefit) Is there any point in asking him about buyout before we have been there 2 years? It's >800yrs on lease and £6 P/A ground rent so I figure that it's not that valuable and most of the cost will be what he knows we will pay to avoid the more expensive LVT process.