I am intending to rent out my leasehold flat in Clacton On Sea. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Even though your previous Clacton On Sea conveyancing solicitor is not around you can review your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the premises. The rule is that if the lease is silent, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to obtain consent via your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. This means that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior consent. Such consent should not be unreasonably withheld. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

Looking forward to complete next month on a garden flat in Clacton On Sea. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they will have a report out to me 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 Clacton On Sea should include some of the following:

• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• Whether the lease restricts you from renting out the property, or working from home
• You must be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
• Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
• What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Clacton On Sea. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Clacton On Sea ?

Most houses in Clacton On Sea are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Clacton On Sea in which case you should be shopping around for a Clacton On Sea conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Clacton On Sea. 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 lessee 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. 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).

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Clacton On Sea from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Clacton On Sea can be reduced if you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers lawyers.
• Many freeholders or managing agents in Clacton On Sea levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Clacton On Sea.
• A minority of Clacton On Sea 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. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the annual 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.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Organising a duplicate share certificate is often a lengthy formality and slows down many a Clacton On Sea home move. If a reissued share certificate is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable double-check by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

I invested in buying a split level flat in Clacton On Sea, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar properties in Clacton On Sea with over 90 years remaining are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2079

With only 53 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £28,500 and £33,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.