I am hoping to sign contracts shortly on a studio apartment in Aston Clinton. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Aston Clinton should include some of the following:

• How long the lease is You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and informed of the importance of the 80 year mark

Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord

Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property?

Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change

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 details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Aston Clinton please ask your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Aston Clinton

I’m about to sell my ground floor apartment in Aston Clinton.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the invoice 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 managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Back In 2000, I bought a leasehold house in Aston Clinton. Conveyancing and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Aston Clinton who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Aston Clinton conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Aston Clinton with the intention of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Aston Clinton can be avoided if you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
• The majority landlords or Management Companies in Aston Clinton levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Aston Clinton.

If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s consent? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Aston Clinton leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. If you fail to have the approvals to hand you should not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer in advance.

A minority of Aston Clinton leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.

You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should verify this by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the remaining number of years is below 75 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

Completion in due on the disposal of our £175000 maisonette in Aston Clinton in seven days. The managing agents has quoted £336 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Aston Clinton?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Aston Clinton conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Answering conveyancing due diligence enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Aston Clinton
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Aston Clinton leasehold property is £350. For Aston Clinton conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide answers.

Aston Clinton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? Make sure you find out if the the lease includes any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example it is very common in Aston Clinton leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Aston Clinton. If you love the propertyin Aston Clinton yet your dog can’t move with you then you will be presented with a difficult determination. Who are the managing agents?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Aston Clinton