Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Bartley Green:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Bartley Green, you will need to chose a conveyancing lawyer with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Halifax, Birmingham Midshires or Nationwide make sure you find a lawyer on their panel. Feel free to use our search tool

Questions and Answers: Bartley Green leasehold conveyancing

I am intending to let out my leasehold flat in Bartley Green. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Is permission from the freeholder required?

A small minority of properties in Bartley Green do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

I have just started marketing my ground floor flat in Bartley Green.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

It best that you pay the invoice as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I own a leasehold house in Bartley Green. Conveyancing and Leeds Building Society mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in Bartley Green who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

First contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Bartley Green conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note 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.

I am looking at a two flats in Bartley Green which have in the region of 50 years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Bartley Green. The lease is a right to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease shortens the marketability of the lease reduces and results in it becoming more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is generally wise to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We advise that you seek professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Bartley Green with the aim of saving time on the sale process?

  • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Bartley Green can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers.
  • The majority freeholders or managing agents in Bartley Green charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Bartley Green.
  • A minority of Bartley Green leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is 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 solicitors.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Obtaining a new share certificate can be a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Bartley Green home move. If a duplicate share is needed, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but you should verify this by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is under 75 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • I inherited a 1st floor flat in Bartley Green, conveyancing formalities finalised 8 years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Bartley Green with over 90 years remaining are worth £166,000. The ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2091

    With just 66 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £11,400 and £13,200 plus costs.

    The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Bartley Green