Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Bishops Cleeve. 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 Bishops Cleeve - 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.

Due to exchange soon on a basement flat in Bishops Cleeve. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• Setting out your legal entitlements in relation to the communal areas in the building.For example, does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or staircase?

I've found a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold rather than 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 instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Bishops Cleeve ?

Most houses in Bishops Cleeve 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 Bishops Cleeve so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Bishops Cleeve 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 lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

I work for a busy estate agent office in Bishops Cleeve where we have witnessed a number of 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 solicitors. Can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner 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 need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

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.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Bishops Cleeve conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Bishops Cleeve conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you speak with several firms including non Bishops Cleeve 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:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?

I purchased a basement flat in Bishops Cleeve, conveyancing was carried out 4 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar properties in Bishops Cleeve with an extended lease are worth £198,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease ends on 21st October 2079

With just 54 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £31,400 and £36,200 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

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Lease Extensions in Bishops Cleeve