Experts for Leasehold Conveyancing in Avonmouth

Get a Quote

Leasehold conveyancing in Avonmouth is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Avonmouth and throughout next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Avonmouth leasehold conveyancing: Q and A’s

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Avonmouth. Before I get started I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Avonmouth - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title.For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

My fiance and I may need to sub-let our Avonmouth basement flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Avonmouth conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

A lease governs the relationship between the landlord and you the leaseholder; specifically, it will say if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. The majority of leases in Avonmouth do not contain subletting altogether – such a clause would undoubtedly devalue the flat. In most cases there is simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a duplicate of the sublease.

There are only 72 years unexpired on my lease in Avonmouth. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to locate the freeholder. In some cases a specialist may be helpful to try and locate and prepare a report to be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Avonmouth.

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just been informed that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Avonmouth. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Avonmouth are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where 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 so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Avonmouth conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your conveyancer should report to you on the legal implications.

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

  • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Avonmouth can be reduced if you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Avonmouth state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. Should you dont have the approvals to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in the first instance.
  • A minority of Avonmouth leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual 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 lawyers.
  • If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle 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 purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy process and slows down many a Avonmouth home move. If a duplicate share is needed, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

    • Leasehold Conveyancing in Avonmouth - Sample of Questions you should consider before buying

      How many years remain on the lease? How much is the ground rent and service charge? Plenty Avonmouth leasehold properties will have a service charge for the upkeep of the building levied by the management company. Where you buy the property you will have to pay this contribution, normally in instalments throughout the year. This could differ from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, normally this is not a significant amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to enquire it because sometimes it can be many hundreds of pounds.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Avonmouth