Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Bulwell:

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Bulwell, you will need to chose a conveyancing solicitor with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Lloyds, Birmingham Midshires or Nationwide be sure to choose a lawyer on their panel. Find a Bulwell conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Common questions relating to Bulwell leasehold conveyancing

There are only Sixty One years unexpired on my flat in Bulwell. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to find the freeholder. On the whole an enquiry agent should be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Bulwell.

I am attracted to a two apartments in Bulwell both have approximately fifty years left on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are plenty of short leases in Bulwell. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease shortens the marketability of the lease deteriorate and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We recommend you seek professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this field

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Bulwell. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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 finding a Bulwell conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Bulwell conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Bulwell conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

  • If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Bulwell who can give a testimonial?

  • Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Bulwell with the purpose of speeding up the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bulwell can be avoided if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers solicitors.
    • The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Bulwell levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bulwell.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Bulwell state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such works. Where you fail to have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer first.
  • If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unsettled. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unsettled.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your lawyers. A buyer’s lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is less than 80 years. It is therefore important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

  • Bulwell Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

      How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments? Make sure you discover if the the lease includes any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in in a block in Bulwell. If you like the flatin Bulwell however your dog is not allowed to move with you then you have a very hard compromise. This question is useful as a) areas may result in problems for the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to have full disclosure

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Bulwell