I've found a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Avonmouth. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Avonmouth ?

Most houses in Avonmouth are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Avonmouth in which case you should be shopping around for a Avonmouth conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

I am attracted to a two maisonettes in Avonmouth both have about fifty years unexpired on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Avonmouth. The lease is a right to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As the lease gets shorter the marketability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. Sometimes it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this field

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

If you are instructing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Avonmouth conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you talk with several firms including non Avonmouth conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

• What volume of lease extensions has the firm completed in Avonmouth in the last twenty four months?

What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on our sale of a £250000 flat in Avonmouth on Thursday in a week. The management company has quoted £348 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Avonmouth?

Avonmouth conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes ordinarily results in fees being invoiced by management companies :

• Addressing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Avonmouth
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• 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 Avonmouth leasehold premises is £350. For Avonmouth 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 the information.

Are there frequently found deficiencies that you come across in leases for Avonmouth properties?

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

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the property
• A duty to insure the building
• 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

A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Birmingham Midshires, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Nottingham Building Society all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to pull out.

Avonmouth Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

Many Avonmouth leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the block set by the freeholder. If you purchase the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, usually in instalments throughout the year. This could differ from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met annual, normally this is not a large sum, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to check it because on occasion it could be prohibitively expensive. Best to be warned whether redecorating or some other major work is anticipated that will be shared between the leaseholders and could well materially increase the the service costs or require a one off payment. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Avonmouth