Leasehold Conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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Any conveyancing practice can theoretically handle your leasehold conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles, your mortgage provider may unwilling to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Sample questions relating to Chalfont St Giles leasehold conveyancing

I would like to rent out my leasehold flat in Chalfont St Giles. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for permission?

A lease governs the relationship between the landlord and you the leaseholder; specifically, it will indicate if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain conditions. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. The majority of leases in Chalfont St Giles do not contain strict prohibition on subletting – such a provision would undoubtedly devalue the property. In most cases there is a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a copy of the sublease.

I only have Seventy years unexpired on my lease in Chalfont St Giles. I now want 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 submit an application 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 Court. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. On the whole a specialist may be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document to be used as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Chalfont St Giles.

I’m about to sell my 2 bed apartment in Chalfont St Giles.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you clear the service charge 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to be perfect, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Chalfont St Giles. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Chalfont St Giles ?

The majority of houses in Chalfont St Giles are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Chalfont St Giles in which case you should be shopping around for a Chalfont St Giles conveyancing practitioner and check that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will appraise you on the various issues.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles can be avoided where you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
  • The majority freeholders or managing agents in Chalfont St Giles levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Chalfont St Giles state that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such works. Should you fail to have the consents in place you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance.
  • If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge 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 purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to ongoing.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Arranging a new share certificate is often a time consuming formality and delays many a Chalfont St Giles conveyancing transaction. Where a duplicate share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

    • I inherited a ground floor flat in Chalfont St Giles, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2010. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable properties in Chalfont St Giles with over 90 years remaining are worth £193,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2086

    You have 64 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £14,300 and £16,400 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

    The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Chalfont St Giles