Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Brierley Hill. Before I get started I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Brierley Hill - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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 today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Brierley Hill. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Brierley Hill ?

The majority of houses in Brierley Hill are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Brierley Hill in which case you should be shopping around for a Brierley Hill conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your lawyer should appraise you on the various issues.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Brierley Hill. Conveyancing and Nationwide Building Society mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing solicitor in Brierley Hill who acted for me is not around.What should I do?

First make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Brierley Hill conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Brierley Hill. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

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. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element 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).

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Brierley Hill conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Brierley Hill conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Brierley Hill conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

• Can they put you in touch with client in Brierley Hill who can give a testimonial?

Brierley Hill Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

If a Brierley Hill lease has less than 80 years it will affect the marketability of the property. It is worth checking with your lender that they are happy with residual term of the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will probably have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of what this will be. Remember, in most cases you would be required to have owned the residence for a couple of years in order to be legally able to carry out a lease extension. Are there any major works anticipated that will likely increase the maintenance costs? The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the tenants benefit from control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently retained where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Brierley Hill