I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Buckden. Before I get started I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Buckden - 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 only have Fifty years unexpired on my lease in Buckden. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have done all that could be expected to locate the freeholder. On the whole an enquiry agent may be useful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Buckden.

Planning to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Buckden. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report next week. What should I be looking out for?

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

• You should be sent a copy of the lease

The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and aware of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years

The total extent of the premises. This will be the flat itself but could also incorporate a roof space or cellar if applicable.

An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has

Repair and maintenance of the flat

I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required

Responsibility for repairing the window frames For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Buckden please enquire of your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Buckden

I have just appointed agents to market my garden apartment in Buckden.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a quarterly service charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear 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 management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless 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.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the sale of our £325000 flat in Buckden in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £300 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Buckden?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Buckden conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Addressing conveyancing due diligence enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Buckden
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Buckden leasehold property is £350. For Buckden 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 required to provide the information.

Buckden Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

The best form of lease structure is where the freehold title is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this arrangement the tenants enjoy control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often employed if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. Be sure to enquire if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example it is very common in Buckden leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Buckden. If you like the apartmentin Buckden but your cat can’t move with you then you will be presented with a hard decision. Is anyone aware of any major works in the planning that will likely increase the service fees?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Buckden