Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Cambridge:

Get a Quote

Whether you are buying or selling leasehold flat in Cambridge, our panel of leasehold conveyancing experts will help you move with as little stress as possible. Find a Cambridge conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Recently asked questions relating to Cambridge leasehold conveyancing

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Seventy years left on my flat in Cambridge. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What should I do?

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 an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to track down the landlord. On the whole a specialist should be useful to try and locate and prepare a report to be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Cambridge.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a garden flat in Cambridge. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Cambridge 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
  • Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring?
  • Are pets allowed in the flat?
  • Whether the lease restricts you from subletting the flat, or having a home office for business
  • 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
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Cambridge please ask your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Cambridge

    • I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Cambridge.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just received a yearly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

    Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge 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 until 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.

    Last month I purchased a leasehold property in Cambridge. 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 owner 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. 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).

    Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Cambridge from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cambridge can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers representatives.
    • The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Cambridge levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Cambridge.
  • If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming formality and slows down many a Cambridge home move. If a duplicate share certificate is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
  • You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

    • Leasehold Conveyancing in Cambridge - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

      Generally speaking the cost for major works are not built into the service charges, although some managing agents in Cambridge obliged tenants to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for larger works. If a Cambridge lease has less than eighty years it will affect the salability of the apartment. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with the length of the lease. A short lease means that you will probably need a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this will be. For most Cambridgelease extensions you will be be obliged to have been the owner of the residence for two years before you are legally able to extend the lease. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Cambridge