Looking into the best way to sell your leasehold flat?  How you decide to sell depends on what you want (in terms of speed of sale and price) and the state of your flat (in terms of whether it’s tenanted and the lease length). Speed of sale – if there is no particular rush to sell your flat then don’t rush into anything, try getting quotes from a few different agents or maybe try online agents to save on commission. Price – are you looking to achieve the best possible price of prepared to sell for a bit less in return for a quick and reliable sale? Tenanted – if you have tenants in the flat can you easily evict them before marketing the flat for sale? Properties usually achieve a better price for vacant possession. Lease length – sometimes selling with a short lease deters prospective buyers. Consider preparing for a lease extension (negotiating the cost of an extension with the freeholder) before marketing the property for sale.

We are a specialist leasehold flat buyer. Established in 2003 we purchase flats in England and Wales, regardless of condition, lease length or tenancy. If you’ve owned a leasehold flat you will know they are not as straightforward to own as a freehold house. Leasehold flats come with obligations and responsibilities, both on the part of the freeholder and the leaseholder. Most of the time this works out well, but when conflicts occur they can be long lasting and difficult to resolve. This potential for problems puts some people off the idea of buying leasehold flats, even if initially they were happy to proceed with a purchase, a few hiccups in the conveyancing process can cause prospective buyers to walk away.

When the sale of your flat seems like it’s stalling it’s usually because an issue similar to the above is happening, sometimes the news doesn’t reach the seller very quickly because the buyers are keeping their fingers crossed that the issue will be resolved.

If you’re selling your flat and encounter these issues it’s advisable to seek the opinion of your conveyancer. It may be that the issue is resolved by indemnifying against a particular risk, or the mortgage company might decide the risk is too big or complex for their liking.

Although we only purchase flats that are mortgageable, we can usually proceed with a purchase that most mortgage lenders might be averse to.