Property owners stuck in troublesome leasehold agreements are being supported in an innovative expert roadshow launching in the Midlands next month.

The event, in Lichfield, Staffordshire, comes as some 4.3million homeowners across England are being compensated for excessive charges on their leasehold property.

An increasing number of people are facing bills of thousands of pounds if they want to move or even remortgage their house or flat as their properties came with 99-year leases when they were built in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

Many are being asked to pay large sums to extend their leases or buy the freehold of their house. Serious concerns have been raised about whether the terms applied under such leasehold agreements are fair. Some apply a string of administration and service charges on top of the ground rent itself.

According to most recent Land Registry statistics, in the West Midlands, some 98% of flats, 5% of houses and 16% of all property transactions are completed on leasehold terms.

In the most serious cases, leaseholders are forced to pay hundreds of pounds per year in ground rent, with payments doubling every 10 years. These charges often make it difficult to sell a property, as few people wish to buy a home subject to such an onerous contract — which is known as a so-called toxic lease scandal.

Now, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a formal investigation into leasehold agreements amid fears that homeowners are being treated unfairly. The Law Commission has also recently issued two consultation papers on how the cost of extending a lease or buying a freehold might be reduced and how Commonhold might be made to work better. And yet another on how the weaknesses in the legislation giving tenants the right to manage their leasehold flats might be remedied.

The CMA said it would also examine whether leaseholders may have been mis-sold when they bought their property in the first place. 

Leasehold specialist Mark Adcock of Adcocks Solicitors (http://www.adcocks.com) said there was an urgent demand for clear, sound guidance on leasehold issues and that the CMA probe could lead to some very welcome good news for home owners.

He added: “More than ever, home owners need to know their rights. For example, they may not know that they can extend the lease of their flat and never pay ground rent again.
“With expert help they can often reduce their service charge, take control of the management of their building and even seize ownership of it.

“It’s also perfectly achievable to get the freehold of their house at a price that’s affordable.”

Mark, of Lichfield-based Adcocks Solicitors has 20 years’ experience in leasehold law and is a former part time lawyer with the Law Commission advising on leasehold.

He will also explain how the law may be changing.

The event, which Mark describes as a ‘must attend’ for leaseholders, is free, is being held at the Cathedral Hotel in Beacon Street on Saturday, July 6 from 9.30am. Anyone interested in knowing more should call 01543 442100 or visit the firm’s website at https://www.adcocks-solicitors.co.uk/roadshow/ and register.

EXIT Festival held on the beautiful Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia, starts in less than a month and the list containing some of the greatest acts in the world is already complete! At the same place, EXIT will gather some of the legendary artists who have been ruling the music scene for decades, but also the freshest acts with dozens of billions of YouTube views! 

EXIT will welcome one of the greatest guitar bands of all time, The Cure, but also the most talked about young rock’n’roll band in the world, Greta Van Fleet! Also arriving is one of the most respected rappers in the world, Skepta, the new hip-hop princess IAMDDB, the very symbol of DJ profession, Carl Cox, and the most popular DJ of the new generation, Amelie Lens. Dozens upon dozens of the most popular hits today will be brought to EXIT personally by their authors, such as The Chainsmokers, currently one of the most popular American duos, or DJ Snake, a French genius whose each single gathers hundreds of millions, even billions of YouTube views! Bringing chart-toppers are the DJ duo Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, as well as another Belgian wunderkind – Lost Frequencies! The greatest trap hit ever will be brought to us by the lucid Desiigner, whose live performances can absolutely be considered celebrations of positive energy, while equally contagious tunes will be introduced by the New York-based hit duo Sofi Tukker. Famous song-maker with a powerful voice and the owner of one of the best albums of this year, Tom Walker, will make everybody at EXIT sing his anthem “Leave a Light On”, while bass heroes, Chase&Status, and Dub FX will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the famous UKF label with the audience at the Main stage. They will be joined there by multi-platinum DJ duo Filatov & Karas, as well as GriZ and MATTN.

The Greatest Hits of EXIT Festival 2019: youtu.be/Du1REYaK5tM

Still, we will be dancing the most and the longest with this year’s All-Star team of the spectacular mts Dance Arena where, together with Cox and Amelie, there to perform will be practically all of the most sought-after performers of the electronic scene today, such as Paul Kalkbrenner, Solomun, Tale of Us, Charlotte De Witte, Boris Brejcha, Peggy Gou, Maceo Plex, Jeff Mills, Dax J, Monika Kruse and many others. Recently confirmed is the special Carl Cox b2b Maceo Plex set for the festival opening on July 4th! The Addiko Fusion stage will also mix heritage, present and current trends, ranging from Serbian music icon and master chansonnier Zvonko Bogdan and ska legends The Selecter, via metal diva Tarja and the 30th anniversary of local punk idols Atheist Rap in the original lineup, all the way to regional stars such as Senidah, Fox i Surreal or the fascinating dreamy band Svemirko. The fifth edition of No Sleep Novi Sad stage will be visited by electronic heroes Lee Burridge, DVS1, I Hate Models, Giorgia Angiuli, Blawan, Sebastien Leger, 999999999, SDHW & Obscure Shape, Boston 168 and many others, introducing club partners such as MMA – Mixed Munich Arts from Munich, D-Edge from Sao Paulo, Bassiani from Tbilisi, as well as a special edition of “All Day I Dream” parties. The riff-heavy Explosive stage has this year lifted its own bar with Whitechapel, Arcturus, Soilwork, Entombed AD, Total Chaos, Peter and The Test Tube Babies and dozens of others. Still, even all this is just a part of the picture comprising of over a thousand accredited artists from the entire world, who will, from July 4 to 7, perform at over forty stages and musical zones all around the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad!

EXIT tickets can be found at exitfest.org, and for those who wish to bundle them with accommodation and local transfer, there are also packages from €145. Default accommodation is the festival camp that is also on the sand beach, but in Novi Sad, next to river Danube, while hotels can be booked through EXIT’s official tourist agency at exittrip.org.

About EXIT
Just a short ride away from the Serbian capital Belgrade, the magical Petrovaradin Fortress set high on the banks of the river Danube in Novi Sad provides the perfect setting for the EXIT Festival. The award-winning festival has something for music lovers of all genres with a diverse mix of artists performing on numerous stages connected by cobbled streets, ramparts and tunnels. Also renowned for its amazing atmosphere and energy the Dance Arena champions the who’s who in the electronic music world set in the awe-inspiring moat of the fortress, it’s that special moment when the suns rays shine over the fortress walls and your favourite tune is belting through the soundsystem and into your soul! 

Started as a student protest in 2000 fighting for political change and freedom, EXIT is still an NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation), one that promotes change and positive education, supporting many community and humanitarian missions, while throwing a damn good party.

EXIT continues to deliver the most adventurous and value for money festival experiences in Europe whilst striving to bring the best talent possible with the challenges that a non-profit brings, all while playing a vital role in bringing together the new nations of former Yugoslavia, war-torn by the events and it is the social importance of the Festival that made it unique and globally recognised. Music is a universal language that connects and brings people together to make the world a better place. EXIT. Where hedonism meets activism.