Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Chesham Bois:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Chesham Bois, you will need to appoint a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Clydesdale , RBS or NatWest be sure to choose a lawyer on their approved list. Feel free to use our search tool

Recently asked questions relating to Chesham Bois leasehold conveyancing

I am intending to rent out my leasehold apartment in Chesham Bois. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Notwithstanding that your previous Chesham Bois conveyancing solicitor is no longer available you can check your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is silent, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must obtain consent from your landlord or some other party before subletting. This means that you cannot sublet without first obtaining consent. The consent should not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If your lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Chesham Bois. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to 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).

I am employed by a long established estate agent office in Chesham Bois where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales put at risk due to short leases. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Chesham Bois conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 buyer.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Chesham Bois with the purpose of expediting the sale process?

  • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Chesham Bois can be avoided where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
  • The majority landlords or managing agents in Chesham Bois charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Chesham Bois.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Chesham Bois leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such changes. Where you dont have the consents to hand do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your conveyancer first.
  • A minority of Chesham Bois leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.
  • 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 conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is less than 80 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • What are the common deficiencies that you encounter in leases for Chesham Bois properties?

    Leasehold conveyancing in Chesham Bois is not unique. All leases are unique and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain clauses are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the property
    • A duty to insure the building
    • Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
    • Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

    You could have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Nationwide Building Society, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Bank of Ireland all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

    I invested in buying a garden flat in Chesham Bois, conveyancing was carried out in 2004. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Chesham Bois with a long lease are worth £187,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease ends on 21st October 2098

    With just 78 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

    The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Chesham Bois