My partner and I may need to let out our Botley basement flat for a while due to a new job. We instructed a Botley conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Even though your previous Botley conveyancing solicitor is no longer around you can review your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the apartment. The rule is that if the lease is silent, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to obtain permission via your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. This means that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior consent. Such consent is not allowed to be unreasonably turned down. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord for their consent.

Planning to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Botley. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

• How long the lease is You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years

I am looking at a couple of flats in Botley which have in the region of fifty years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Botley. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As the lease gets shorter the saleability of the lease decreases and it becomes more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We advise that you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Botley. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

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. It is an essential part 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).

We expect to complete our sale of a £375000 apartment in Botley next week. The freeholder has quoted £420 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Botley?

Botley conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not necessitates the buyer’s conveyancer sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to such questions most will be willing to assist. They may levy a reasonable charge for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration fees, without which the invoice is technically not due. Reality however dictates that one has no option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to complete the sale of your home.

I own a 1st floor flat in Botley, conveyancing was carried out in 2012. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent properties in Botley with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2100

With 74 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

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Lease Extensions in Botley