I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Dolwyddelan. Before diving in I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Dolwyddelan - 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.

My fiance and I may need to rent out our Dolwyddelan basement flat for a while due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Dolwyddelan conveyancing firm in 2003 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

A small minority of properties in Dolwyddelan do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

I have just started marketing my ground floor flat in Dolwyddelan.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a quarterly service charge invoice – what should I do?

It best that you clear 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 managing agents 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Dolwyddelan. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation 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. Strange as it may seem, 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 the sale of our £275000 apartment in Dolwyddelan in just under a week. The management company 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 flat conveyance in Dolwyddelan?

Dolwyddelan conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally results in fees being levied by management companies :

• Addressing pre-exchange enquiries
• 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 solicitor 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 provide the information.

Dolwyddelan Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before buying

This information is helpful as a) areas can cause problems in the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if repairs are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will want to have complete disclosure You should be aware if it is fewer than 80 years it will affect the salability of the property. It is worth checking with your bank that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will probably need a lease extension at some point and it is worth discovering how much this will be. For most Dolwyddelanlease extensions you will be required to have owned the premises for 24 months before you are entitled to extend the lease. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Dolwyddelan