Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Cranfield:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Cranfield, you will need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Santander, RBS or Bradford & Bingley make sure you find a lawyer on their approved list. Find a Cranfield conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Top Five Questions relating to Cranfield leasehold conveyancing

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Sixty One years left on my flat in Cranfield. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What are my options?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have used your best endeavours to find the lessor. In some cases an enquiry agent should be helpful to carry out a search and to produce a report to be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Cranfield.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Cranfield. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me next week. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Cranfield should include some of the following:

  • The physical extent of the property. This will be the apartment itself but could also include a loft or basement if appropriate.
  • Defining your legal entitlements in respect of the communal areas in the building.By way of example, does the lease contain a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
  • Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring?
  • You need to be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
  • 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
  • The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Cranfield please ask your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Cranfield

    • Last month I purchased a leasehold property in Cranfield. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

    In a situation 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. 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 Cranfield from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cranfield can be reduced where you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • The majority landlords or Management Companies in Cranfield levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cranfield.
  • 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? Cranfield leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. Where you fail to have the consents to hand do not contact the landlord without contacting your solicitor first.
  • If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over rather than unresolved.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a re-issued share certificate can be a lengthy formality and delays many a Cranfield home move. Where a duplicate share certificate is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

    • Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £475000 flat in Cranfield in just under a week. The management company has quoted £336 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Cranfield?

    Cranfield conveyancing on leasehold apartments often requires the buyer’s lawyer submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries the majority will be willing to assist. They are entitled invoice a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is above £800. The administration charge demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the charge is technically not due. In reality you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    Cranfield Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

      Many Cranfield leasehold apartments will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the block levied on behalf of the freeholder. Where you acquire the property you will have to meet this amount, usually in instalments accross the year. This may vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal areas. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, normally this is not a exorbitant figure, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to check it because sometimes it can be prohibitively expensive. What restrictions exist in the Cranfield Lease? How much is the ground rent and service charge?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Cranfield