Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Charmouth. Before I get started I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Charmouth - 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.

Helen (my wife) and I may need to rent out our Charmouth basement flat temporarily due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Charmouth conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have closed and we did not think at the time get any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

A small minority of properties in Charmouth do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

Expecting to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Charmouth. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• You should receive a copy of the lease

I own a leasehold flat in Charmouth. Conveyancing and Leeds Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing solicitor in Charmouth who previously acted has long since retired.Do I pay?

First contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Charmouth conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am looking at a couple of flats in Charmouth both have in the region of 50 years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Charmouth is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the salability of the premises. For most buyers and banks, leases with less than 75 years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Charmouth conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Charmouth Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying

Make sure you investigate if the the lease includes any adverse restrictions in the lease. For example some leases prohibit pets being allowed in in a block in Charmouth. If you love the apartmentin Charmouth yet your cat is not allowed to live with you then you have a very hard compromise. Best to be warned if changing the roof or some other significant cost is pending that will be shared amongst the tenants and will materially impact the level of the maintenance fees or result in a specific invoice. Can you inform me if there are any major works in the near future that will likely increase the maintenance charges?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Charmouth