Apply for a window license!!!!!

Sue11

A friend has just bought a flat and the old double glazed windows need replacing some won't even shut.
She rang the managing agents who said she must send in a covering note as to what she wants to do along with an estimate and a spec of the windows to be used so as to get a window license from the landlord at a cost of £300 plus VAT. Is this normal?

brightontraveller

Its not common but it certainly not that unusual some leases are extremely restrictive what you can and can’t do without freeholder’s consent.

Common are alter a partition wall or window,,, Some require plan of alteration, written specification showing the materials being used,written explanation of the works proposed, Surveyor’s reports etc right pain in the butt…..

You may have to pay there solicitors fee, surveyors fee also, If they have just bought there solicitor should really have informed about the lease restrictions and implications prior….

Check if it fee per change or per request if per request they should look at getting permission to change all windows doors even if they don’t intend to (check if there are time limitations ) basically means whenever they do they don’t have to pay again…

Sue11

Thank you for answering more of a mine field than first envisaged.


Sue

27col

brightontraveller wrote: »

Its not common but it certainly not that unusual some leases are extremely restrictive what you can and can’t do without freeholder’s consent.

Common are alter a partition wall or window,,, Some require plan of alteration, written specification showing the materials being used,written explanation of the works proposed, Surveyor’s reports etc right pain in the butt…..

You may have to pay there solicitors fee, surveyors fee also, If they have just bought there solicitor should really have informed about the lease restrictions and implications prior….

Check if it fee per change or per request if per request they should look at getting permission to change all windows doors even if they don’t intend to (check if there are time limitations ) basically means whenever they do they don’t have to pay again…

Pardon my ignorance. But if she has bought a flat. Where does a landlord come into the scene. I thought that the whole point of buying a property was to ensure that no landlord was involved.

Babbawah

27col wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance. But if she has bought a flat. Where does a landlord come into the scene. I thought that the whole point of buying a property was to ensure that no landlord was involved.

Between me and you . . . it's either a very amateur troll or an MSE staff post by a teenager on min wage.

Either way, this is what MSE has become since Dear Martin sold us all and the new owners found themselves with a very expensive forum with no traffic !

ljonski

managing agents

plenty of flats in blocks have these

naked

She could always try pitching it to them as she is fixing the broken windows, replacing them with ones which are the same size and similar appearence to the old?

The window licence fee might be because the building owner wants to get someone to check what you're doing isn't going to damage the building e.g. everyone in the building doubled the size of their windows or took out all the partitions it might fall down...
A like for like replacement won't cause this problem so there would be no need for them to pay someone to check it.

Ectophile

27col wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance. But if she has bought a flat. Where does a landlord come into the scene. I thought that the whole point of buying a property was to ensure that no landlord was involved.

You've obviously never owned a leasehold flat. When you pay your money, you are just buying a lease on part of the building for a fixed period (perhaps 99 years). At no point to you actually own any part of the building. You still have to pay a ground rent to the freeholder who does own it.

In some cases, there is an arrangement where the leaseholders also own a share in the company that owns the building. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.

Sue11

Thank you so much for your comments and help.

Sue11

I feel the need to say, just in case anyone gets worried about buying leasehold, that everyone especially the buyer is protected in law but it is in their best interest to get details of the lease immediately, something my friend did not do.

Ectophile

Sue11 wrote: »

I feel the need to say, just in case anyone gets worried about buying leasehold, that everyone especially the buyer is protected in law but it is in their best interest to get details of the lease immediately, something my friend did not do.

If you're buying a lease, always take the time to read the lease end-to-end before signing the contract.

Many years ago, when I bought a flat, I even managed to get a particularly unreasonable clause removed from the lease. But that was only possible because it was a new lease.