You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

Due to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Burnham On Crouch. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they report fully next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Burnham On Crouch should include some of the following:

• The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years
• Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, freeholder
• Setting out your legal entitlements in relation to the communal areas in the block.E.G., does the lease permit a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
• You should be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.

For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Burnham On Crouch please ask your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Burnham On Crouch

I own a leasehold house in Burnham On Crouch. Conveyancing and Britannia mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing practitioner in Burnham On Crouch who previously acted has now retired.What should I do?

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

I am looking at a couple of apartments in Burnham On Crouch both have approximately fifty years unexpired on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

A lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As a lease shortens the value of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is often a good idea to extend the lease term. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field

I work for a busy estate agency in Burnham On Crouch where we have experienced a number of flat sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Burnham On Crouch conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension formalities 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 start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Burnham On Crouch conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Burnham On Crouch conveyancing firm) it is most important 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 Burnham On Crouch conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be helpful:

• How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
• What volume of lease extensions have they carried out in Burnham On Crouch in the last 12 months?

Burnham On Crouch Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

Plenty Burnham On Crouch leasehold flats will have a service charge for the upkeep of the building levied by the landlord. Should you buy the apartment you will have to pay this charge, normally in instalments throughout the year. This can differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, ordinarily this is not a large sum, say about £25-£75 but you need to check as sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds. If a Burnham On Crouch lease has less than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the flat. It is worth checking with your bank that they are happy with remaining years on the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth discovering how much this would cost. For most Burnham On Crouchlease extensions you would be required to have owned the premises for two years before you are eligible to extend the lease.