Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Barnard Castle:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Barnard Castle, you will need to appoint a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Clydesdale , Yorkshire Building Society or Nationwide be sure to find a lawyer on their panel. Feel free to use our search tool

Common questions relating to Barnard Castle leasehold conveyancing

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Barnard Castle. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Barnard Castle - 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.

I am hoping to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Barnard Castle. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report next week. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • The physical extent of the property. This will be the flat itself but may include a loft or cellar if appropriate.
  • Defining your rights in relation to the communal areas in the building.For instance, does the lease include a right of way over an accessway or staircase?
  • Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
  • An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Barnard Castle please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Barnard Castle

    • I own a leasehold flat in Barnard Castle. Conveyancing and Britannia mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing solicitor in Barnard Castle who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

    The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Barnard Castle conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured 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.

    Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Barnard Castle conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Barnard Castle conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you make enquires with several firms including non Barnard Castle conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

    • What volume of lease extensions have they completed in Barnard Castle in the last 12 months?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Barnard Castle who can give a testimonial?

    • Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Barnard Castle with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Barnard Castle can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers solicitors.
    • Many freeholders or Management Companies in Barnard Castle levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Barnard Castle.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Barnard Castle leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such works. If you fail to have the approvals in place do not contact the landlord without contacting your solicitor in the first instance.
  • A minority of Barnard Castle leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying 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 purchasers or their lawyers.
  • You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but you should verify this via your lawyers. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is under 80 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

    • Leasehold Conveyancing in Barnard Castle - A selection of Queries before buying

      Many Barnard Castle leasehold properties will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the block levied by the landlord. Should you purchase the property you will have to pay this liability, usually periodically accross the year. This can be anything from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met yearly, this is usually not a large figure, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to enquire as on occasion it could be surprisingly expensive. The answer will be useful as a) areas could result in problems in the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where services are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to know about it What restrictions are there in the Barnard Castle Lease?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Barnard Castle