Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Avonmouth. Before I get started I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Avonmouth - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Avonmouth. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

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

Whether the lease restricts you from renting out the flat, or working from home

You need to be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease

Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future

Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?

Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)

Responsibility for repairing the window frames For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Avonmouth please ask your lawyer in advance of your conveyancing in Avonmouth

I own a leasehold house in Avonmouth. Conveyancing and Nottingham Building Society mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Avonmouth who previously acted has now retired.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to instruct a Avonmouth conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am looking at a couple of maisonettes in Avonmouth which have approximately 50 years unexpired on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in Avonmouth is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the marketability of the premises. For most purchasers and mortgage companies, leases with less than 75 years become less and less marketable. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Avonmouth conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Completion in due on our sale of a £325000 flat in Avonmouth in just under a week. The freeholder has quoted £396 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Avonmouth?

Avonmouth conveyancing on leasehold flats typically necessitates fees being invoiced by managing agents :

• Completing conveyancing due diligence 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 solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Avonmouth leasehold property 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 supply answers.

Avonmouth Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before buying

Are there any major works on the horizon that will add a premium to the maintenance costs? This information is important as a) areas may result in problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the running of the building you will want to know about it On the whole the outlay for major works are not included within maintenance charges, although some managing agents in Avonmouth obliged tenants to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Avonmouth