The estate agent
Ben Everest
I bought my central London flat 10 years ago. It now has just 59 years left on the lease, but I want to move. Should I extend the lease before I market it; and, if so, how much will that cost?
T Crowley, by email
Properties with a long lease (100 years or more) tend to have wider market appeal and are more likely to achieve their asking price. Those with less than 90 years can be harder to sell, as the cost of extension can increase significantly. A client of mine recently extended the lease on her average-sized West End property from 72 to 166 years at a cost of £30,000. Bear in mind that the larger the property, the more expensive it is likely to be.
If you have a friendly freeholder, ask them how much they would charge. Otherwise, employ a specialist chartered surveyor (for a fee of £500-£1,000) to draw up a report into how much an extension should cost. They will handle the negotiation, but get a good solicitor for the paperwork. If you don’t do it yourself, at least prospective purchasers will have an idea of what they’ll need to spend.
Ben Everest is a partner at the West End estate agency LDG; ldg.co.uk
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The architect
Michael Burrowes
We want to put a parking area in front of our house. What is the best way to lay one, and how do we know where the services run?
S Hall, by email
Councils don’t like you building on your front garden because it affects how rainwater seeps away and can cause drains to flood. As long as you lay a porous surface that can absorb rainwater, or incorporate a soakaway — a pit filled with gravel and stones that allows water to percolate slowly — you will not normally need planning approval. The depth and specification of the base must be correct, to ensure your parking area does not sink, so use a specialist building firm.
When it comes to locating your gas, water, drains and electricity, your local service operators will be able to give you plans — they may charge from £30. These could be unreliable, however, so your builder should check for access covers nearby and use detection devices that pick up pipes using radio waves or magnetic fields. In the end, the only sure way to check is for your contractor to dig some trial holes.
Michael Burrowes runs his own architectural practice, M Burrowes Associates; mbassocs@btinternet.com
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