Leasehold Conveyancing in Cottenham - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

Get a Quote

Leasehold conveyancing in Cottenham is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Cottenham and next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Recently asked questions relating to Cottenham leasehold conveyancing

There are only 72 years unexpired on my lease in Cottenham. I need to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to find the landlord. In some cases an enquiry agent may be useful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Cottenham.

Back In 2005, I bought a leasehold flat in Cottenham. Conveyancing and Virgin Money mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Cottenham who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Cottenham conveyancing solicitor 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 Cottenham conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Cottenham conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with several firms including non Cottenham conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be of use:

  • If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?
  • What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Cottenham with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cottenham can be reduced if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers lawyers.
    • The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Cottenham levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cottenham.
  • A minority of Cottenham leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying 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 lawyers.
  • If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic rather than unresolved.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Organising a new share certificate is often a lengthy process and delays many a Cottenham home move. Where a reissued share is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

    • All being well we will complete our sale of a £325000 garden flat in Cottenham on Thursday in a week. The managing agents has quoted £324 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Cottenham?

    Cottenham conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not involves the buyer’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries most will be willing to do so. They are at liberty levy a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it is in excess of £800. The management information fee invoiced by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the charge is not strictly payable. In reality you have no option but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    I own a split level flat in Cottenham, conveyancing formalities finalised 10 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding flats in Cottenham with a long lease are worth £223,000. The ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2092

    You have 66 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £15,200 and £17,600 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

    The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Cottenham