Expecting to complete next month on a leasehold property in Biddenham. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they are sending me a report tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, freeholder

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Biddenham. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Biddenham are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Biddenham in which case you should be shopping around for a Biddenham conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’spermission to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor will advise you fully on all the issues.

I own a leasehold flat in Biddenham. Conveyancing and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Biddenham who acted for me is not around.What should I do?

First make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Biddenham conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Biddenham. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

All being well we will complete our sale of a £275000 garden flat in Biddenham on Thursday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £384 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Biddenham?

Biddenham conveyancing on leasehold flats normally necessitates the buyer’s solicitor sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries the majority will be content to do so. They are at liberty invoice a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration fees, without which the invoice is technically not due. In reality you have little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

Biddenham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Is there a share of the freehold? Is anyone aware of any major works in the planning that could increase the service charges? Most Biddenham leasehold properties will have a service bill for maintenance of the block set on behalf of the landlord. If you purchase the flat you will have to pay this liability, usually in instalments during the year. This may vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal grounds. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a large figure, say about £50-£100 but you should to check as sometimes it can be many hundreds of pounds.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Biddenham