Leasehold Conveyancing in Acocks Green - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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Any conveyancing solicitor can theoretically handle your leasehold conveyancing in Acocks Green, your mortgage provider may unwilling to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Top Five Questions relating to Acocks Green leasehold conveyancing

I am intending to let out my leasehold apartment in Acocks Green. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

A small minority of properties in Acocks Green do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

I am hoping to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Acocks Green. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they are sending me a report next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

  • You should be sent a copy of the lease
  • Defining your legal entitlements in relation to common areas in the building.For instance, does the lease include a right of way over a path or hallways?
  • Are pets allowed in the flat?
  • Whether the lease restricts you from subletting the property, or having a home office for business
  • 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 obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Acocks Green please ask your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Acocks Green

    • I have just started marketing my ground floor apartment in Acocks Green.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just had a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

    Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the service charge as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

    Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Acocks Green from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Acocks Green can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
    • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Acocks Green state that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. Should you fail to have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer in the first instance.
  • If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Organising a re-issued share certificate can be a time consuming formality and slows down many a Acocks Green home move. If a new share certificate is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this as soon as possible.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your lawyers. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the remaining number of years is under 80 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

    • All being well we will complete the disposal of our £125000 garden flat in Acocks Green in just under a week. The freeholder has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Acocks Green?

    Acocks Green conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not necessitates the buyer’s solicitor sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions the majority will be content to assist. They may levy a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality one has little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to complete the sale of your home.

    Leasehold Conveyancing in Acocks Green - Sample of Questions you should consider before buying

      How long is the Lease? Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the tenants? How much is the service charge and ground rent on the flat?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Acocks Green