I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Bishop Auckland. Before I get started I would like to find out the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Bishop Auckland - 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 have just appointed agents to market my garden apartment in Bishop Auckland.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just received a yearly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

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 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Bishop Auckland conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Bishop Auckland conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you talk with several firms including non Bishop Auckland conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

• How many lease extensions has the firm carried out in Bishop Auckland in the last year?
• Can they put you in touch with client in Bishop Auckland who can give a testimonial?

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Bishop Auckland with the purpose of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bishop Auckland can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
• Many freeholders or Management Companies in Bishop Auckland charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bishop Auckland.
• If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and 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 ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over rather than ongoing.
• If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Arranging a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Bishop Auckland home move. If a new share certificate is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this as soon as possible.
• You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

Completion in due on our sale of a £ 450000 garden flat in Bishop Auckland in 5 days. The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Bishop Auckland?

Bishop Auckland conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes ordinarily results in fees being invoiced by freeholders :

• Answering conveyancing due diligence enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Bishop Auckland
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Bishop Auckland leasehold premises is £350. For Bishop Auckland 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 obliged to supply the information.

I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Bishop Auckland, conveyancing having been completed 8 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar properties in Bishop Auckland with a long lease are worth £208,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2077

With just 51 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.