Lost lease - do leasehold tenants sign a lease?

Virginia_Slim

We purchased a leasehold apartment in 2005 and can not find a copy of our lease. We bought it from the first owners who purchased it from Barratt's Homes. We have a photocopy of the lease signed by the first owners. We are now in dispute with the Service Charge people who insist we agreed to pay for services we do not receive (i.e. cleaning of interior hallways, when we have an exterior door and no access to hallways).  (We had a mortgage but paid it off years ago & the bld society says they do not have a copy. The solicitors who acted for us do not have a copy.)  It is VERY unusual for us to misplace papers. We are careful people. So: (1) Would we have signed a lease in 2005? Or is it possible no lease was ever signed? (2) where can we get a copy? Many thanks.

greatcrested

When you bought, you bought the existing lease. A new one was not created so no, you would not sign it.

Your ownership of the existing lease was (and is) registered with the Land Registry. For £3 you can get a copy of the registration in your name here.

The LR probably also have a copy of the original lease. For £6 you can apply for a paper copy here using form OC2.

bouicca21

You have a photocopy of the original lease, that's what you bought; what else do you want? Read it, it will tell you just what you are and are not liable to pay for.

AdrianC

Virginia_Slim said:

We are now in dispute with the Service Charge people who insist we agreed to pay for services we do not receive (i.e. cleaning of interior hallways, when we have an exterior door and no access to hallways).

It's entirely likely that the lease for all flats - whether you have internal or external access is the same, with you bearing a portion of the cost.

If that's in the lease, then you agreed to it by buying the lease off the vendor.

greatcrested

bouicca21 said:

You have a photocopy of the original lease, that's what you bought; what else do you want? Read it, it will tell you just what you are and are not liable to pay for.

Skim reading. I missed that! Save yourself the £6 virginia.

D.L

The photocopy that you have of the lease signed by the first owners is your lease - you bought it from them. What does it say?

Obviously we can't see what it says here but I expect you'd be liable. Usually costs are shared jointly between all leaseholders with some variation for size of each property.