Leasehold Conveyancing in Durham - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

Get a Quote

Looking for a solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Durham on your lender’s panel? Use our search tool to find approved local Durham conveyancing practitioners or national solicitors on your lender’s panel .

Examples of recent questions relating to leasehold conveyancing in Durham

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Durham. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Durham - 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.

Expecting to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Durham. 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 Durham should include some of the following:

  • How long the lease is You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark
  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
  • Does the lease prevent you from subletting the flat, or working from home
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • 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.
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Durham please ask your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Durham

    • My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Durham. Conveyancing and The Mortgage Works mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in Durham who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

    First make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Durham conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

    Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Durham from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Durham can be avoided where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers representatives.
    • Many freeholders or Management Companies in Durham charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Durham.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Durham state that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord approving such works. If you fail to have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance.
  • A minority of Durham leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.
  • If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should make sure that you are holding the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy process and slows down many a Durham home move. If a reissued share certificate is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

    • What makes a Durham lease unmortgageable?

    There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Durham. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain clauses are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the property
    • A duty to insure the building
    • Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
    • Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

    You will have difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Barclays , Bank of Scotland, and Godiva Mortgages Ltd all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

    Durham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying

      Who are the managing agents? The answer will be helpful as a) areas can cause problems in the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will want to have all the details It is important to be aware if redecorating or some other major work is due in the foreseeable future that will be shared between the leaseholders and could well dramatically increase the the service fees or necessitate a one time payment.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Durham