Helen (my wife) and I may need to rent out our Cornhill On Tweed 1st floor flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Cornhill On Tweed conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your previous Cornhill On Tweed conveyancing solicitor is no longer around you can review your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the apartment. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to obtain consent from your landlord or other appropriate person in advance of subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without first obtaining permission. The consent should not be unreasonably withheld. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord for their consent.

I have just started marketing my garden apartment in Cornhill On Tweed.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a yearly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the invoice 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I've found a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Cornhill On Tweed. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Cornhill On Tweed are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Cornhill On Tweed so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Cornhill On Tweed conveyancing practitioner and be sure 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 comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Cornhill On Tweed with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cornhill On Tweed can be reduced if you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
• Many freeholders or managing agents in Cornhill On Tweed levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. 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 frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Cornhill On Tweed.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £325000 maisonette in Cornhill On Tweed next week. The freeholder has quoted £372 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Cornhill On Tweed?

Cornhill On Tweed conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally requires the buyer’s lawyer sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions most will be content to assist. They are at liberty charge a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it is in excess of £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the invoice is technically not due. In reality one has no choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

I acquired a 2 bed flat in Cornhill On Tweed, conveyancing was carried out 10 years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable properties in Cornhill On Tweed with an extended lease are worth £251,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 2083

You have 57 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £25,700 and £29,600 as well as legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Cornhill On Tweed