Harry (my fiance) and I may need to let out our Cookham 1st floor flat temporarily due to a new job. We used a Cookham conveyancing firm in 2003 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your last Cookham conveyancing solicitor is not around you can check your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is silent, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you must obtain permission via your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without prior consent. The consent must not not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord for their consent.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Cookham. Conveyancing and Nationwide Building Society mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing solicitor in Cookham who previously acted has long since retired.What should I do?

First contact HMLR to make sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to incur the fees of a Cookham conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Cookham conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Cookham conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Cookham conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be of use:

• What volume of lease extensions has the firm conducted in Cookham in the last twenty four months?
• What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing?

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Cookham with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cookham can be bypassed if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
• Many landlords or Management Companies in Cookham charge for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Cookham.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Cookham state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. Where you dont have the paperwork to hand you should not contact the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance.
• Some Cookham leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying 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 purchasers or their solicitors.
• If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a re-issued share certificate can be a lengthy process and delays many a Cookham home move. If a new share certificate is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

What makes a Cookham lease unmortgageable?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Cookham. Most leases are individual and drafting errors can result in certain sections are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the premises
• A duty to insure the building
• A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

You may encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. HSBC Bank, Leeds Building Society, and TSB 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 problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

Cookham Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

This information is helpful as a) areas could cause problems for the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if maintenance are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will want to have complete disclosure The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the leaseholders benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often employed if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent employed by the leaseholders.