first time buyer, and first time poster, so grateful for any information any of you experts can provide:
i am looking to put an offer in on flat in a mansion block in Balham, SW London, and after some reading of these forums and a few other sources, i am seeing a common thread of concerns over who is the freeholder of a given property, and thus what a leaseholder is liable to pay on an ongoing basis (such as repairs to building etc.). The flat i am looking at has 81 years left on the lease (and i understand that leases with fewer than 80 years can be more expensive to renew), and so my question is as to whether i can request to see the lease to see terms/contact freeholder about extension prior to putting in an offer. I have details of ground rent and service charge, both of which seem reasonable, but if i am going to be face with a large bill for a lease extension and further large costs for building maintenance work, this would obviously greatly alter my offer for the property.
any thoughts on how i should proceed???
