A Leasehold Valuation Tribunal - How Does It Apply to Buying A Freehold?

In 1993 a new law came into effect that permitted flat owners with a leasehold agreement to apply for their freehold right to buy. This meant that providing they could meet the basic conditions set down in this law, they could set about buying a freehold even if the landlord objected to the idea.

The law is known as the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, and it applies solely to collective claims brought by a group of flat owners wishing to use their freehold right to buy.

The process of buying a freehold can take anything from around three months at the shortest to a lot longer if the landlord is 'hostile' and doesn't want to copyright.. One thing to remember however, if you are considering going down this route yourself, is that your landlord cannot simply say no to your freehold right to buy because he or she doesn't agree with it. The landlord has to have a valid statutory reason to block such an attempt.

Some landlords are happy to go through the process and will be amenable to negotiating on friendly terms when it comes to settling on a price for the freehold. However this does not apply to all cases. If the situation is hostile and no agreement can be made on a price, the case may eventually be referred to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal- though thankfully, most landlords see sense and relatively few cases get to the LVT.

The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal is a body created to resolve this kind of dispute when it arises between a tenant (or in this case tenants) and a landlord. Needless to say it is always best if this can be avoided, although in some situations it is inevitable that the freehold right to buy will end up at the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal before it can be settled. If your own case does end up going to the LVT it will take longer to settle than it would have done on friendly terms.

This is one of the reasons why buying a freehold should ideally be done with the help of a solicitor specializing in freehold purchase cases. If your case should go to the tribunal your solicitor will handle the situation for you and make it far less stressful. Even if you do end up going down this route it does not mean your application for the freehold right to buy will be unsuccessful. It could merely take longer to complete before you can enjoy the benefits of being a freehold owner.

Thinking of buying a freehold property? Make sure you talk to Bonallack & Bishop first- Solicitors specialising in freehold purchase.

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Indian Passport: How to Apply?

An Indian passport is prerequisite for those traveling abroad. The instrument is a legal document that is essential for those traveling out of the country and coming back. It is issued by the Government of India by Consular Passport and Visa Division. This division is under the Ministry of External Affairs. The CPV functions as central passport organization in the country.

The basic function of passport is to prove Indian Nationality abroad. The Name, address, date of birth and gender is mentioned on the passport. This instrument has limited validity and has to be renewed before the expiry date.

Regular Passport is issued to Indian citizens for International travel. Diplomatic Passport is issued to Diplomats and high profiles government officials.

The initial procedure involves the policy after the application form is filled and submitted to the local office. Full scale verification is carried out by the police of the individual living in the area. The identity is checked and reference taken. The verification duly signed by high official of the police department is then sent to the regional passport office for further process. This takes time and one needs to appear personally at the regional office. This procedure is time taking, but for those in a hurry a Tatkal Scheme is launched where higher fee has to be paid.

The Emblem of India the Asiatic Lions is printed on the cover of the passport. The color is deep blue and contains about thirty-six pages.

The passport can be applied online in case of new, duplicate or lost passport. The application form can be downloaded and then printed using the printer attached to the computer. This form is then registered at the local Regional Office for formalities to follow. The status can be checked online on sites that provide the search tools.

The application has to be attached with various documents. The most important are proof of age, address, photographs and related documents. The photo identity is a must if you have a pan card or a driving license it will do. Even a ration card or voter card works fine. For date of birth and additional information school mark sheet or a degree is accepted. These regulatory compliance are a must.

Your identity papers have to be endorsed by you and also by relatives or neighbors during police verification process. Once all the formalities are complete and submitted, the passport arrives by a registered post after the application is accepted. You can keep checking the status on Internet.

Uday writes often on legal documents in India. He writes about online application for Indian Passport requirements and how to check the status. He also writes about photo identity such as pan card issued by Income Tax Department in India. Uday writes on many topics.

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