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Leasehold conveyancing in Billingham is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Billingham and throughout next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Billingham leasehold conveyancing Example Support Desk Enquiries

Due to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in Billingham. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
  • Setting out your rights in relation to the communal areas in the building.E.G., does the lease permit a right of way over a path or hallways?
  • 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
  • Repair and maintenance of the flat
  • The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Billingham please ask your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Billingham

    • I have just started marketing my garden flat in Billingham.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

    The sensible thing to do is discharge 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 managing agents 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

    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 just discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Billingham. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Billingham ?

    Most houses in Billingham are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Billingham so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Billingham conveyancing practitioner and check that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. First 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 comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’spermission to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your conveyancer should appraise you on the various issues.

    My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Billingham. Conveyancing and Bank of Ireland mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Billingham who acted for me is not around.What should I do?

    The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a Billingham conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

    Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Billingham with the intention of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Billingham can be avoided if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Billingham leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord consenting to such works. If you dont have the paperwork to hand do not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.
  • Some Billingham 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 obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.
  • If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a property where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic rather than unsettled.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Arranging a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming process and slows down many a Billingham conveyancing deal. If a duplicate share is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

    • I am the registered owner of a 1 bedroom flat in Billingham, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar properties in Billingham with a long lease are worth £232,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease ends on 21st October 2078

    With only 54 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £27,600 and £31,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

    The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Billingham