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Leasehold Properties

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ChrisTM
ChrisTM Posts: 3 Newbie
in House buying, renting & selling
Hello,
I purchased a new detached house on a Charles Church development some 15 months ago, this was a leasehold property. As the development has now come to an end, the final few houses have been sold freehold as they were struggling to sell them. This is rather decisive and unfair and I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this issue?
I was going to wait the two years and buy out my leasehold which will cost me sround £5/6,000, but in light of these recent freehold sales, wonder if there would be any merit in me raising a legal challenge against Charles Church, especially as the subject of leasehold is currently a hot potato in parliament and there might be new legislation coming to bar properties being sold with it. In the meantime, I continue to reside in a property that I will never completely own and pay annual fees for no extra service,.

Comments

  • Mr_Curious
    Mr_Curious Posts: 118 Forumite
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    If you purchased the house knowing it was leasehold then what are you complaining about?
  • scottishblondie
    scottishblondie Posts: 2,485 Forumite
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    You purchased the house knowing it was leasehold, and the developers have now made a business decision to help them to sell the remaining properties. You weren’t duped so I can’t see that you have anything to complain about. FWIW, the freehold properties may still have to pay some kind of service charge for the upkeep of the estate, as this is very common in new developments.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
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    The developer was at liberty to sell their houses freehold or leasehold and you were free to accept or reject their offering, so there is no deception and you have no case.

    In any event, the existence of leasehold property is not a 'hot potato' as you claim; it's the exponentially increasing charges written into some of them which has caused concern. As above, many freehold properties also have service charges nowadays for things like maintenance of communal areas.


    Enjoy the rest of your weekend, do some reading around the subject and relax, because you aren't going to be mounting any legal challenge against the developer yourself. If the conditions of your lease are deemed unfair if/when parliament has ruled on this, you would be among thousands seeking an amendment to the lease, not a change from leasehold to freehold.

    ....Or you could just buy the freehold.
  • csgohan4
    csgohan4 Posts: 10,587 Forumite
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    Always someone else's fault,

    OP you got to take responsibility for your own actions, I would not touch leasehold with a bargepole imo
    "It is prudent when shopping for something important, not to limit yourself to Pound land/Estate Agents"

    G_M/ Bowlhead99 RIP
  • eddddy
    eddddy Posts: 16,440 Forumite
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    If the developers are selling other houses as freehold, they might be happy to sell you the freehold of your house now.

    If you and the developer can agree a price and terms, you don't have to wait 2 years.

    You can ask them how much they want for the freehold and/or make them an offer.
  • diggingdude
    diggingdude Posts: 2,445 Forumite
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    If you buy leasehold you accept you are buying a less desirable property. Thats not the developers problem
    An answer isn't spam just because you don't like it......
  • ChrisTM
    ChrisTM Posts: 3 Newbie
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    Thanks pal, really useful response .....
  • ChrisTM
    ChrisTM Posts: 3 Newbie
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    Some constructive responses thanks and for those of you who wanted to troll the post, jog on and get a life, you clearly need to get out more yawnnnnnnn
This discussion has been closed.
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