Questions and Answers: Dronfield leasehold conveyancing
I am intending to rent out my leasehold flat in Dronfield. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?
Notwithstanding that your previous Dronfield conveyancing solicitor is not available you can review your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the property. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are silent, subletting is allowed. There may be a precondition that you must seek permission via your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet in the absence of prior consent. The consent should not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.
I have just appointed agents to market my garden apartment in Dronfield.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just received a quarterly service charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?
The sensible thing to do is pay the service charge 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.
Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Dronfield. 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 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. 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).
Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Dronfield from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?
- Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Dronfield can be reduced if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
- In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Dronfield leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. If you dont have the approvals to hand do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer before hand.
Completion in due on the sale of our £275000 garden flat in Dronfield on Monday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £324 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Dronfield?
Dronfield conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally involves fees being invoiced by freeholders :
- Completing conveyancing due diligence questions
- Where consent is required before sale in Dronfield
- Copies of the building insurance and schedule
- Deeds of covenant upon sale
- Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale
I am the registered owner of a 1st floor flat in Dronfield, conveyancing was carried out 4 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Dronfield with an extended lease are worth £217,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2079
You have 56 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
Other Topics