Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Bishops Cleeve:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Bishops Cleeve, you will need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Clydesdale , Yorkshire Building Society or Bradford & Bingley be sure to find a lawyer on their approved list. Feel free to use our search tool

Top Five Questions relating to Bishops Cleeve leasehold conveyancing

I've found a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since found out that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Bishops Cleeve. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Bishops Cleeve ?

Most houses in Bishops Cleeve are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Bishops Cleeve so you should seriously consider looking for a Bishops Cleeve conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Bishops Cleeve. Conveyancing and Halifax 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 practitioner in Bishops Cleeve who acted for me is not around.What should I do?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Bishops Cleeve conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two apartments in Bishops Cleeve both have approximately 50 years remaining on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold flat in Bishops Cleeve is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the marketability of the premises. For most purchasers and banks, leases with less than eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Bishops Cleeve conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

I work for a reputable estate agency in Bishops Cleeve where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales jeopardised as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Bishops Cleeve conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Bishops Cleeve from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

  • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bishops Cleeve can be avoided where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers solicitors.
  • Many landlords or managing agents in Bishops Cleeve levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bishops Cleeve.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Bishops Cleeve leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord consenting to such changes. Where you dont have the paperwork in place you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.
  • A minority of Bishops Cleeve leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Organising a new share certificate is often a lengthy formality and slows down many a Bishops Cleeve home move. Where a reissued share is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • Leasehold Conveyancing in Bishops Cleeve - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

      How long is the Lease? Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge payments? The answer will be useful as a) areas may result in problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to know about it

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Bishops Cleeve