Hombuyer report for leasehold retirement home

eddddy

AskAsk said:

there are 52 properties on the complex as well as the communal area and the manager office.  i am not sure a survey for the bungalow itself is really necessary.

It depends why you're doing it. For example, it might be useful for providing a list of issues to report to the management company for fixing, for example...

There's a damp patch that needs investigating
There's a window frame that's rotten 
There are some slipped roof tiles
The hot tap in the bathroom sink isn't working

user1977

AskAsk said:

user1977 said:

AskAsk said:

user1977 said:

The freeholder may be responsible for instructing repairs, but who is ultimately paying for them?

structural repairs are done by the freeholder in any situation and it will come out of the sinking fund or service charge unless it is major works.  that is my understanding.

Right, so the leaseholders are paying for it at the end of the day. So just as much interest in checking the current state of the building as for a freehold property.

less so as it is spread over all the properties on the complex.  

Or possibly more so, depending on the state of the other properties…

Emmia

In terms of maintenance, the downside of a leasehold is you don't choose when they decide to do it.

I live in a leasehold property and due to the lack of external maintenance we have paid this year to paint some of our windows and to replace the rest +  our french doors because they were rotten. This was the cost of the doors, window, scaffolding, painting... And legal fees incurred by the freeholder so that they could consider our application to do the works.

If we want to paint the windows again, then we'll need to pay the legal fees again (£500) so they can consider our plan to paint white window frames... White.

Before we did the work, I asked what the schedule for external maintenance was, I was told that exterior painting, last done in 2014 (before we moved in) was due in 2026. Other windows in the communal areas also need replacement (they are clearly rotten) and when that happens we'll be stumping up our share. 

So if your parents would like control of this stuff, I'd avoid leasehold

AskAsk

eddddy said:

AskAsk said:

there are 52 properties on the complex as well as the communal area and the manager office.  i am not sure a survey for the bungalow itself is really necessary.

It depends why you're doing it. For example, it might be useful for providing a list of issues to report to the management company for fixing, for example...

There's a damp patch that needs investigating
There's a window frame that's rotten 
There are some slipped roof tiles
The hot tap in the bathroom sink isn't working

do you need a surveyor to do this though?

AskAsk

Emmia said:

In terms of maintenance, the downside of a leasehold is you don't choose when they decide to do it.

I live in a leasehold property and due to the lack of external maintenance we have paid this year to paint some of our windows and to replace the rest +  our french doors because they were rotten. This was the cost of the doors, window, scaffolding, painting... And legal fees incurred by the freeholder so that they could consider our application to do the works.

If we want to paint the windows again, then we'll need to pay the legal fees again (£500) so they can consider our plan to paint white window frames... White.

Before we did the work, I asked what the schedule for external maintenance was, I was told that exterior painting, last done in 2014 (before we moved in) was due in 2026. Other windows in the communal areas also need replacement (they are clearly rotten) and when that happens we'll be stumping up our share. 

So if your parents would like control of this stuff, I'd avoid leasehold

they don't have a choice as they want a bungalow and they can't afford one so buying one on a retirement home complex is affordable.

Emmia

AskAsk said:

Emmia said:

In terms of maintenance, the downside of a leasehold is you don't choose when they decide to do it.

I live in a leasehold property and due to the lack of external maintenance we have paid this year to paint some of our windows and to replace the rest +  our french doors because they were rotten. This was the cost of the doors, window, scaffolding, painting... And legal fees incurred by the freeholder so that they could consider our application to do the works.

If we want to paint the windows again, then we'll need to pay the legal fees again (£500) so they can consider our plan to paint white window frames... White.

Before we did the work, I asked what the schedule for external maintenance was, I was told that exterior painting, last done in 2014 (before we moved in) was due in 2026. Other windows in the communal areas also need replacement (they are clearly rotten) and when that happens we'll be stumping up our share. 

So if your parents would like control of this stuff, I'd avoid leasehold

they don't have a choice as they want a bungalow and they can't afford one so buying one on a retirement home complex is affordable.

Fair do's but they should be aware of the pit falls and the lack of control that leasehold has on maintenance.

AskAsk

Emmia said:

AskAsk said:

Emmia said:

In terms of maintenance, the downside of a leasehold is you don't choose when they decide to do it.

I live in a leasehold property and due to the lack of external maintenance we have paid this year to paint some of our windows and to replace the rest +  our french doors because they were rotten. This was the cost of the doors, window, scaffolding, painting... And legal fees incurred by the freeholder so that they could consider our application to do the works.

If we want to paint the windows again, then we'll need to pay the legal fees again (£500) so they can consider our plan to paint white window frames... White.

Before we did the work, I asked what the schedule for external maintenance was, I was told that exterior painting, last done in 2014 (before we moved in) was due in 2026. Other windows in the communal areas also need replacement (they are clearly rotten) and when that happens we'll be stumping up our share. 

So if your parents would like control of this stuff, I'd avoid leasehold

they don't have a choice as they want a bungalow and they can't afford one so buying one on a retirement home complex is affordable.

Fair do's but they should be aware of the pit falls and the lack of control that leasehold has on maintenance.

yeah, we have had leasehold properties so we are aware of the issues.

NameUnavailable

If you feel confident in your own ability to assess the property for faults then I would say you can skip the survey. I didn't bother when I bought a leasehold flat as it had recently had a new roof, the electrics were up to date (as it had been rented out) and the property itself looked in good order.

There were a couple of minor issues that came to light after I moved in which a surveyor may have picked up and I may have been able to negotiate on price for.

As has been said take a look at the lease and check exactly what is and isn't the freeholders responsibility and pay attention to the state of the other buildings. For example, if the complex includes some flats with lifts, your parents will probably have to pay towards the cost of their maintenance and eventual replacement. Do car park areas need resurfacing soon? Are roofs OK? etc. etc. (not that a survey will comment on these points but it's worth checking yourself!).

eddddy

Emmia said:

So if your parents would like control of this stuff, I'd avoid leasehold

I think part of the appeal of retirement property leases is that you don't need to control (or deal with) anything.

In the retirement property leases I've seen, the management company will do everything including...

• Repair a dripping tap in your flat
• Change a light bub in your flat
• Fix the heating in your flat

• Sweep the paths
• Do the gardening

• Repair/replace the roof
• Resurface parking area

• Do 2 or 3 calls a week to make sure that you're ok

But that's why the service charges are so high.

Emmia

eddddy said:

Emmia said:

So if your parents would like control of this stuff, I'd avoid leasehold

I think part of the appeal of retirement property leases is that you don't need to control (or deal with) anything.

In the retirement property leases I've seen, the management company will do everything including...

• Repair a dripping tap in your flat
• Change a light bub in your flat
• Fix the heating in your flat

• Sweep the paths
• Do the gardening

• Repair/replace the roof
• Resurface parking area

• Do 2 or 3 calls a week to make sure that you're ok

But that's why the service charges are so high.

I think the ease is all well and good, if everything is done to the standard you expect and in the timeframe you expect.

If it's maintained properly you don't look at manky flaky window paintwork (and see the windows rot) because the management company have deemed it not to be in this year's budget / programme of works.

This is what I've been looking at, hence forking out for the works to be done sooner - a rotten entry door isn't a great idea for security.