Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Dolwyddelan. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Dolwyddelan - 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.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years left on my flat in Dolwyddelan. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to locate the lessor. In some cases an enquiry agent may be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce a report which can be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Dolwyddelan.

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

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 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).

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Dolwyddelan with the aim of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Dolwyddelan can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Dolwyddelan state that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. Should you fail to have the consents in place do not contact the landlord without contacting your solicitor first.
• Some Dolwyddelan leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain 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 you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Arranging a re-issued share certificate can be a time consuming process and delays many a Dolwyddelan home move. If a reissued share is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
• You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your lawyers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

Completion in due on the disposal of our £ 125000 maisonette in Dolwyddelan on Monday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Dolwyddelan?

Dolwyddelan conveyancing on leasehold flats usually involves the buyer’s lawyer submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to such questions most will be willing to assist. They are at liberty levy 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 cases it is in excess of £800. The administration charge demanded by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, without which the charge is not strictly payable. In reality you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to sell the property.

Dolwyddelan Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

This information is helpful as a) areas could cause problems for the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will want to have full disclosure