Looking forward to complete next month on a leasehold property in Dolwyddelan. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they are sending me a report next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Dolwyddelan should include some of the following:

• You should be sent a copy of the lease

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

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

You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions

Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)

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. For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Dolwyddelan please enquire of your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Dolwyddelan

I have just started marketing my ground floor apartment in Dolwyddelan.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is pay 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 until 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 own a leasehold house in Dolwyddelan. Conveyancing and Skipton Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing solicitor in Dolwyddelan who previously acted has long since retired.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Dolwyddelan conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Dolwyddelan from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Dolwyddelan can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• The majority freeholders or managing agents in Dolwyddelan charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Dolwyddelan.

If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Dolwyddelan leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. Should you dont have the approvals in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer first.

Some Dolwyddelan leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, 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 will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual 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 buyers or their solicitors.

If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Arranging a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy process and delays many a Dolwyddelan home move. If a new share is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

All being well we will complete our sale of a £125000 flat in Dolwyddelan on Wednesday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £348 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Dolwyddelan?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Dolwyddelan 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-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Dolwyddelan
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Dolwyddelan leasehold premises is £350. For Dolwyddelan 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 obliged to supply answers.

Dolwyddelan Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

The best form of lease arrangement is where the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this arrangement the tenants have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently employed where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Make sure you investigate if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. By way of example it is very common in Dolwyddelan leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Dolwyddelan. If you love the flatin Dolwyddelan however your dog can’t live with you then you will be presented with a hard determination. You should be aware if it is fewer than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the property. Check with your mortgage company that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the property for 24 months in order to be entitled to extend the lease.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Dolwyddelan