• Preface
• The History Of Apartment Buildin
• What Type Of Flat Is It Best To
• The Lease
• Management
• Increasing The Value Of Your Fla
• Ex-Local Authority Blocks
• Letting A Flat
• When Things Go Wrong
• Buying Abroad
• Conclusions

How To Buy A Flat

• Preface
  • Cheaper For Developers
  • Altering Demographics
  • Advantages Of Flat Living
  • Disdavantages To Flat Living
  • Understanding Leasehold Law
  • Leasehold With A Share Of The Freehold
  • Commonhold
  • A Natural Way Of Living?
  • The Nature Of Interconnection
  • Running The Building
  • Costs Can Go On…
  • The Pros And Cons Of Living In A Flat
  • Other Aspects Of Flat Living
• The History Of Apartment Buildings
  • The First Flats
  • Housing For The Poor
  • Moving On
  • Flat Living Becomes Stylish
  • The Problems Of Tenure
  • A Continuing Problem
  • Reforming Laws
  • The History Of Service Charges
• What Type Of Flat Is It Best To Buy?
  • Exploring The Types Of Flat Available
  • Conversion
  • Mansion Block
  • Purpose-Built Blocks
  • Newbuilds
  • Warehouse Conversions
  • Ex-Local Authority Blocks
  • Small Blocks
  • Large Blocks
  • Flats Over Shops
  • Shell Apartments
  • Shared Ownership
  • Live/Work Units
  • Retirement/Age Exclusive Apartments
  • Is There A Best Buy?
  • Where In The Block?
• The Lease
  • Questions To Ask
  • The Lease Itself
  • The Main Elements Of A Standard Lease
  • Further Covenants
  • Look For Subletting Clauses
  • Listed Buildings
  • Where You Own A Share Of The Freehold
  • Leases Of Ex-Local Authority Flats
  • Ex-Local Authority Block Service Charges
  • Payment Plans
  • Are Leases Legally Binding?
  • What If You Infringe The Lease?
  • Major Works
  • Service Charges
  • Reasonable Charges
  • Insurance
  • Ask For Evidence Of Expenditure
  • Recovering Service Charges
  • Application To The Leasehold Valuationtribunal
  • The Leasehold Advisory Service
  • Ground Rent
  • Forfeiture And Possession
  • Commonhold
  • The Management Of A Block Of Flats
• Management
  • Resident Management Companies
  • The Landlord And Tenant Act 1985
  • Difficult Owners
  • The Paperwork Involved
  • A Typical List Of What You Might Ask An Agent
  • Standard Contracts
  • Meetings And Qualifications
  • Typical Charges And Services
  • Accounts And Funds
  • A Brief Outline Of Residents ‘associations’ Purposes
  • The Best Way Of Setting Up An Association
  • Outside Landlords And Recognised Residents’associations
• Increasing The Value Of Your Flat
  • The Options Are:
  • The Procedure
  • Here Is The Outcome Of A More Typical Situation
  • ‘marriage’ Value
  • Lease Extensions
  • A Typical Example
  • Another Example Of A Typical Set Of Figures For A Lease Extension
  • The Landlord’s Response
  • If Agreement Cannot Be Reached
  • It’s Done!
  • How Long Does It All Take?
  • How Much Does It Cost?
  • How Long Does Setting Up The Rtm Take?
  • What The Rtm Has To Do
  • Be Aware Of The Problems Associated With Rtms
  • Why Enfranchise?
  • Gaining A Formal Valuation
  • Ground Rent
  • Valuation Of The Enfranchisement
  • Appreciation
  • The Right Of First Refusal
  • ‘hope’ Value
  • Summary
  • How It Stacks Up (Sample)
  • What About The Non-Participants?
  • Do You Now Own The Building Between You?
  • Who Are The Directors?
  • And Finally...
• Ex-Local Authority Blocks
  • Collective Enfranchisement
  • Leases Shorter Than 80 Years
  • A Note On Mortgages
  • Social Tenants
  • Service Charges
  • Residents’ Associations
  • Breach Of Lease
  • Investment Value
  • Is There A Best Buy?
• Letting A Flat
  • The Lease
  • Restrictive Subletting
  • What Kind Of Subletting Is Allowed?
  • Buying A Flat To Let
  • Carrying Out Building Work
  • Being A Good (Absentee) Landlord
  • Finding Tenants
  • Your Tenant’s Responsibilities
  • Types Of Tenancy
  • Short Lets
  • Holiday Lets
  • Leasing To A Housing Association Or Localcouncil
  • Letting Out Your Own Home
  • Tax Matters
• When Things Go Wrong
  • These Are The Best Solutions
  • What If Problems Persist?
  • In Some Cases, Mediation May Be The Answer
  • Listed Buildings
• Buying Abroad
  • Apartments In America
  • Renting Out
  • Property Clubs
  • The Costs Stack Up
  • Timeshare Apartments
  • Inheritance And Sipps
• Conclusions
  • All New Developments Should As A Matter Of Course Becommonhold
  • What About Non-Payers?
  • No Requirement For Reasonableness
  • Leasehold Tenure Would Disappear