I am hoping to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Dunchurch. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring?

Does the lease prevent you from renting out the property, or working from home

You should be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease

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

Repair and maintenance of the flat

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 details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Dunchurch please enquire of your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Dunchurch

I’m about to sell my garden apartment in Dunchurch.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just received a yearly service charge invoice – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should 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 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 am a negotiator for a long established estate agent office in Dunchurch where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Dunchurch conveyancing solicitors. Please can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Dunchurch conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Dunchurch conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with two or three firms including non Dunchurch conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be helpful:

• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?

Can they put you in touch with client in Dunchurch who can give a testimonial?

Completion in due on the sale of our £350000 maisonette in Dunchurch on Thursday in a week. The management company has quoted £420 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Dunchurch?

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

• Addressing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Dunchurch
• 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 Dunchurch leasehold property is £350. For Dunchurch 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 answers.

Dunchurch Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

Generally speaking the cost for major works are not wrapped into the service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Dunchurch ask leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for major repairs or maintenance. You should be aware if it is fewer than eighty years it will impact the value of the property. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering what this would cost. For most Dunchurchlease extensions you will be required to have been the owner of the property for 24 months in order to be entitled to exercise a lease extension. Be sure to enquire if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being allowed in in a block in Dunchurch. If you love the apartmentin Dunchurch yet your dog is not allowed to move with you then you will be faced difficult choice.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Dunchurch