I am a negotiator for a busy estate agency in Almondsbury where we see a few flat sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Almondsbury conveyancing firms. Can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Almondsbury conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Almondsbury conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you talk with several firms including non Almondsbury conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Almondsbury with the intention of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Almondsbury can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• Many freeholders or managing agents in Almondsbury levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Almondsbury.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £125000 garden flat in Almondsbury next Wednesday . The landlords agents has quoted £348 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Almondsbury?

Almondsbury conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally requires the purchaser’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries the majority will be willing to do so. They are entitled invoice a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The management information fee invoiced by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to sell the property.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Almondsbury what are the most frequent lease defects?

Leasehold conveyancing in Almondsbury is not unique. All leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain clauses are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the property
• Insurance obligations
• A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

You may encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Lloyds TSB Bank, Coventry Building Society, and TSB all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to provide security, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

Almondsbury Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Generally speaking the outlay for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although there some managing agents in Almondsbury obliged tenants to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for larger works. What is the annual service fee and ground rent? The best form of lease arrangement is if the freehold interest is owned by the leaseholders. In this arrangement the lessees have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently retained if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Almondsbury