Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Dolgellau. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and almost all are in Dolgellau - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

Planning to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Dolgellau. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord

The total extent of the property. This will be the apartment itself but might include a loft or basement if applicable.

Defining your legal entitlements in relation to common areas in the building.For example, does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or staircase?

An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has

Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)

Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?

The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Dolgellau please ask your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Dolgellau

I’m about to sell my garden apartment in Dolgellau.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a yearly service charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge 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 unless 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 recently bought a leasehold house in Dolgellau. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

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. A critical element 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).

We expect to complete our sale of a £175000 apartment in Dolgellau next Tuesday . The freeholder has quoted £384 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Dolgellau?

For most leasehold sales in Dolgellau conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Answering pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Dolgellau
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Dolgellau leasehold premises is £350. For Dolgellau conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide the information.

Dolgellau Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying

The answer will be important as a) areas could result in problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will wish to have all the details Make sure you investigate if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example it is reasonably common in Dolgellau leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Dolgellau. If you like the flatin Dolgellau but your cat is not allowed to live with you then you will be presented with a hard determination. Most Dolgellau leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the block set on behalf of the freeholder. If you buy the property you will have to pay this amount, usually periodically throughout the year. This can vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. In all probability there will be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, normally this is not a large amount, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to check as sometimes it can be many hundreds of pounds.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Dolgellau