Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Disley. Before diving in I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Disley - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title.For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I've found a house that seems to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just discovered that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Disley. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Disley are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Disley in which case you should be looking for a Disley conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is located on an estate. Your solicitor will advise you fully on all the issues.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Disley. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, 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 ensure 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).

I work for a busy estate agent office in Disley where we see a number of leasehold sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Disley conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

All being well we will complete our sale of a £275000 flat in Disley on Thursday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £324 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Disley?

Disley conveyancing on leasehold flats usually involves the purchaser’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to assist. They may charge a reasonable charge for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it exceeds £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the charge is technically not due. In reality you have no choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to sell the property.

Disley Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

It would be prudent to discover as much as you can about the managing agents as they will either make your life much simpler or uncomfortable. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily issues like the upkeep of the common parts. Don't be shy to ask other people if they are happy with them. In conclusion, investigate as to the dates that the maintenance charges are due to the appropriate party and specifically what it includes. Make sure you find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example it is fairly common in Disley leases that pets are not allowed in in a block in Disley. If you like the flatin Disley however your cat can’t live with you then you will be faced difficult choice. Are there any major works in the near future that could add a premium to the maintenance costs?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Disley