Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Croxley Green:

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Croxley Green leasehold conveyancing: Q and A’s

I have recently realised that I have Sixty One years remaining on my lease in Croxley Green. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What are my options?

On the basis that 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 mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to track down the lessor. For most situations a specialist may be helpful to try and locate and to produce a report to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Croxley Green.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Croxley Green. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Croxley Green ?

Most houses in Croxley Green are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Croxley Green so you should seriously consider looking for a Croxley Green conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor will report to you on the legal implications.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Croxley Green conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Croxley Green conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should 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 Croxley Green conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be helpful:

  • How many lease extensions have they carried out in Croxley Green in the last twenty four months?
  • What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Croxley Green from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Croxley Green can be bypassed if you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers lawyers.
    • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s consent? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Croxley Green leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. If you dont have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand.
  • A minority of Croxley Green leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should 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 able to meet 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 lawyers.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is a current dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. 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 particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to unsettled.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Organising a re-issued share certificate is often a time consuming formality and slows down many a Croxley Green home move. If a new share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible.

    • Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £125000 apartment in Croxley Green on Thursday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £384 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Croxley Green?

    Croxley Green conveyancing on leasehold apartments more often than not involves the buyer’s solicitor submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer such questions most will be willing to do so. They may levy 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 cases it exceeds £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, without which the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have little option but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord to extend my lease without success. Can one apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Croxley Green conveyancing firm to assist?

    if there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the LVT to assess the premium.

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a Croxley Green residence is Flats 8, 11 and 15 Craigmore Court 46 Murray Road in December 2013. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 8 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,438 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenants of Flat 11 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,791 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 15 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,638 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . This case affected 3 flats. The unexpired term was 71 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Croxley Green