Experts for Leasehold Conveyancing in Aberdare

Get a Quote

While any conveyancing practice can theoretically handle your leasehold conveyancing in Aberdare, your mortgage provider may unwilling to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Recently asked questions relating to Aberdare leasehold conveyancing

Expecting to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Aberdare. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they report fully within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Aberdare should include some of the following:

  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, freeholder
  • Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property?
  • You should be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
  • The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide. For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Aberdare please ask your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Aberdare

    • Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Aberdare. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

    Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

    If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

    Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Aberdare conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    When appointing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Aberdare conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Aberdare conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be of use:

    • If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Aberdare who can give a testimonial?

    • If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £125000 maisonette in Aberdare in 5 days. The managing agents has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Aberdare?

    Aberdare conveyancing on leasehold apartments more often than not necessitates the purchaser’s solicitor sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer such questions most will be willing to assist. They may charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it is in excess of £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. In reality one has little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    What makes a Aberdare lease defective?

    There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Aberdare. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the building
    • A duty to insure the building
    • Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
    • Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

    A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Yorkshire Building Society, Bank of Scotland, and Alliance & Leicester all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, forcing the buyer to withdraw.

    Aberdare Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

      How much is the ground rent and service charge? Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge liability? The majority of Aberdare leasehold apartments will have a service charge for the upkeep of the block invoiced on behalf of the management company. Where you buy the apartment you will have to meet this charge, usually quarterly throughout the year. This may differ from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, this is usually not a large amount, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to enquire it because occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Aberdare