I am hoping to complete next month on a ground floor flat in Bakewell. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they report fully within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Bakewell should include some of the following:

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark

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

You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions

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

Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?

Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Bakewell please ask your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Bakewell

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Bakewell. Conveyancing and National Westminster Bank mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing solicitor in Bakewell who previously acted has long since retired.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Bakewell conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Bakewell conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Bakewell conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you speak with several firms including non Bakewell conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be of use:

• How familiar is the practice with lease extension legislation?

If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?

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

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Bakewell can be reduced where you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers solicitors.
• Many freeholders or managing agents in Bakewell charge for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Bakewell.

If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Bakewell leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. If you fail to have the approvals in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in advance.

A minority of Bakewell leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice 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 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.

You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should verify this via your solicitors. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is less than 75 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £250000 flat in Bakewell on Friday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £360 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Bakewell?

Bakewell conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally necessitates fees being raised by managing agents :

• Completing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Bakewell
• 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 Bakewell leasehold premises is £350. For Bakewell 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.

Bakewell Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the building? Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge payments? Make sure you find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example it is very common in Bakewell leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Bakewell. If you like the flatin Bakewell yet your cat can’t move with you then you have a very difficult choice.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Bakewell