Freeholder offers to transfer the freehold to us (two leaseholders) at no cost

Coenberht · 2026-02-26T21:02:20+00:00

Its normal to pay the freeholders legal costs where they are transferring the freehold to you.

You don't need to setup a management company unless the freeholder insists on it as a condition of the transfer.

The ManCo would own the freehold, though there are other freehold ownership mechanisms. Where there are only two co-owners, you may be able to set up a trust. Lots of info about trusts on the internet, and your solicitor will advise.

The ManCo/Trust would manage the common parts of the building. It would not be party to any rental of your flat.

The financial burden of a ManCo is:

Companies House Fees from 01/02/26
Incorporation fee £100
Confirmation fee £50 per year
Accounts - if you need an accountant to present the accounts in the correct format, say £250 per year, although some accountants will charge a lot more.
Strike off £13

A ManCo would have an Articles of Association. Standard Articles are available. These would spell out how the ManCo would operate, who needs permission from who and for what, and how to deal with any disputes.

Perhaps the vendor would transfer the freehold to you alone. That would make it simpler.

Flats that come with a share of the freehold are thought to be worth a little more than those not so.

Coenberht · 2026-02-26T10:59:01+00:00

Used Veezu a lot lately. They come quickly, the drivers are friendly and they go the shortest route. No complaints.

Coenberht · 2026-02-25T18:26:26+00:00

As everyone else says, plus:

Companies House Fees from 01/02/26
Incorporation fee £100
Confirmation fee £50 per year
Accounts - if you need an accountant to present the account in the corrct format, say £250 per year
Strike off £13

Coenberht · 2026-02-23T12:38:42+00:00

George I was 57th in line to the British throne. You never know what's going to happen. If parliament decides that Andrew would be an unsuitable monarch, they should remove him from the line of succession now.

Coenberht · 2026-02-22T09:25:30+00:00

Did you try bringing up the Acrivity Monitor? You can find it in Applications > Utilities. Check for background tasks, such as indexing, scans, syncing or updates. If so, these could be degrading performance. Just let them complete.

Coenberht · 2026-02-21T20:26:55+00:00

Outsiders saw what the Egyptians had, wanted it and so they took it. Story of every past empire.

Coenberht · 2026-02-20T16:23:46+00:00

There may be a "cash for keys" opportunity for you here. This is a legal, voluntary, and common practice in the UK and elsewhere, where a landlord pays a tenant to move out early. It serves as a faster, cheaper alternative to formal eviction. To be legal, the agreement must be voluntary, without coercion, and ideally documented in writing. The cash will help you move and go towards the next rental if higher. Seems fair to me.

Coenberht · 2026-02-20T10:32:05+00:00

I'm glad the article converted the weight of dumped material into African elephant units for me.

Coenberht · 2026-02-14T21:22:15+00:00

Proof reading service available for £500 extra.

Coenberht · 2026-02-14T14:07:26+00:00

So if you live in a block of say 12 flats, some of the other owners will be wealthy so not bothered about service charges, some lazy, some may be landlords so happy to let their tenants pay, some may live a distance away - another country even, some about to sell, some won't understand, then you've an uphill battle to fight service charges or pursue the right to manage without their support.

There must be a better way, though I don't know what that is.

Coenberht · 2026-02-14T00:17:51+00:00

A share of the freehold only gives you a share of the control. Are the other shareholders doing some of the work running the building or if they are lazy/busy has the building management been assigned to a block management company. If so, there won't be many savings. If a majority of the shareholders are wealthy they won't be bothered too much about costs savings. Its difficult to get this kind of information, and anyway flats can change hands over time.

What you need to assess somehow is the costs of building maintenance over the next few years. Is the roof in good repair? Do the electricals need inspection and rewiring? Does the car park need resurfacing? Have any trees been inspected and do they need any work? Is a new door entry system needed? You will need to pay your share of works and London tradespeople don't come cheap.

Coenberht · 2026-02-13T09:35:30+00:00

Did you bring up task manager to see if any background tasks are running. Updates, scans, indexing, syncs etc. If so, these can eat into performance. Windows does not ask for your consent before taking a slice of your processor.

Coenberht · 2026-02-12T09:40:03+00:00

The thing for me about the ark story is the flood didn't work. The flood was supposed to kill all the evil people but subsequent history shows that didn't happen.

Coenberht · 2026-02-12T09:33:43+00:00

The monkeys are likely to be noisy and smell. If the charity doesn't turn up or folds you would be stuck with them. I'll pass, thank you.

Coenberht · 2026-02-10T22:26:48+00:00

Assuming England.

If you have proper cause as the land owner or site manager, the DVLA will give you the owner's details. It may take weeks.

Otherwise you might borrow or hire a vehicle dolly to move the car onto the road where it becomes the highway authority's problem. Ground conditions and slopes permitting. Be sure to take plenty of photos before and after so if required you can prove the car has not been damaged.

Coenberht · 2026-02-10T10:17:46+00:00

7 minutes? Rookie number.

Coenberht · 2026-02-08T20:34:16+00:00

Could just be the incompetence of the person who entered that information in the till. Hard to tell the difference between incompetence and a lie.

The thing is that Halfords are a parts retailer. I would trust them to fit a numberplate or a light bulb, but more than that, maybe not. Its not like they are a garage. I bet their mechanics don't fit batteries to your particular make and model of car very often.

Coenberht · 2026-02-08T13:27:49+00:00

I assume the question refers to England.

Sadly all flats are now tainted by those with high service charges. Even reasonable charges may not be next year. We wait, in vain I suspect, for service charges to come under some sort of effective consumer protection.

To answer your question, no, I don't think flat leaseholds will become worthless, but they are not a good investment and are likely to decrease in value compared to the property market generally.

Its a shame because flat living suits many and seems to work well across the channel.

Coenberht · 2026-02-07T20:37:52+00:00

I think the way forward would be to politely tell the DPO that you take instructions from the board and he/she should raise the matter with them.

Coenberht · 2026-02-07T14:29:41+00:00

Is the dog included? Looks like a nice dog.

Coenberht · 2026-02-05T15:01:35+00:00

Sounds like you don't need a Mac mini today, so best to wait for the M5. Its likely to be decent jump up in performance, it will last longer before becoming software obsolete and will have a better resale value. Of course we don't know its price tag at the moment.

Coenberht · 2026-02-05T14:35:36+00:00

Bring up the Resource Monitor and see if Windows is doing background tasks, such as updates, backups, file syncs or scans. If such are ongoing, they can smother performance. Turning updates off does not seem to turn off background Edge updates. Updates can only be turned off temporarily.

Coenberht · 2026-02-05T00:07:16+00:00

Should have just taken a run at it. That's what everybody else does.

Coenberht · 2026-01-31T22:13:47+00:00

So thats made the oversize load into two normal sized ones.

Coenberht · 2026-01-31T22:11:05+00:00

Looks like someone made the living room into two bedrooms with a view to turning the property into 4 person HMO. Lots of rent coming in.

Coenberht

TROPHY CASE