Buying a leasehold house - or not

Niksan

I've just sold my house and looking to upgrade, found one, area we want and house type we want but it's leasehold.

My current house's lease was bought out by previous owners so have only been used to living in a freehold.

The potential house has £60 ground rent, and incurs a £50 charge if we need to write to them to get permission to do any major work. That's pretty much it, on a £210000 house.

The lease currently has 104 years remaining, should there been anything to worry about or should one steer clear? My cold feet is just looking a potentially selling in future and what that might incur.

So looking for 'don't worry too much' or perhaps try to find something with a longer lease / freehold. :undecided as everything I've searched regarding leasehold (even here on MSE main site) always talk about flats, rather than houses.

Thanks.

pjread

Any idea who owns the freehold, and if there would be any way to acquire it?

I personally would be wary of a leasehold house, but that's only based on one experience which I suspect was atypical (EA told me it was freehold, then it was shared freehold, then magically after I'd offered and I'd started incurring legal costs it was actually a straight lease with some rather onorous and silly terms, escalating ground rent and a commercial freeholder, so I cut my losses...)

I expect plenty of people do buy leasehold houses and have little practical difference to buying freehold, just slightly higher legal costs etc perhaps. Down south it's fairly uncommon so far as I know, but I've heard it's more common in other parts of the country.

Niksan

This is a newish build, original lease was 125 years, seems all new(ish) builds around here are leasehold.

Fireflyaway

I live in a leasehold place. When we moved in there was 101 years left so that part of it never bothered me. What I dislike is the service charge.

The company is very poor indeed. The charge has risen from £40 to £95 per month over the time we have been here and it doesn't feel as though you get anything for that money.

If you are planning on staying for a few years I would say fine go ahead - if its a forever ( as far as you know) move then I wouldn't. Just because it never feels totally your place and the freeholders could mess you about as they have done to us.

Niksan

Was that a house or a flat? I've been told there's no service charge or any charges other than the ground rent, obviously without a copy of the least and hand it's difficult to verify but any of that stuff I'd cut my losses and progress no further than the solicitors.