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

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in East Hunsbury, you will need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Halifax, Birmingham Midshires or Bradford & Bingley make sure you find a lawyer on their panel. Find a East Hunsbury conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Common questions relating to East Hunsbury leasehold conveyancing

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in East Hunsbury. Before I get started I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and almost all are in East Hunsbury - 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.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Sixty One years left on my lease in East Hunsbury. I am keen to extend my lease but my freeholder is missing. What are my options?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the freeholder. For most situations an enquiry agent should be useful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering East Hunsbury.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two maisonettes in East Hunsbury which have about forty five years remaining on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in East Hunsbury. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As a lease shortens the marketability of the lease reduces and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is advisable to extend the lease term. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We recommend you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a East Hunsbury conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a East Hunsbury conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with two or three firms including non East Hunsbury conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

  • How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?
  • If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in East Hunsbury from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in East Hunsbury can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
    • Many freeholders or Management Companies in East Hunsbury levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in East Hunsbury.
  • A minority of East Hunsbury leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over rather than ongoing.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Arranging a re-issued share certificate is often a time consuming formality and slows down many a East Hunsbury home move. If a reissued share is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

    • Leasehold Conveyancing in East Hunsbury - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

      Are there any major works anticipated that will likely add a premium to the service fees? The answer will be useful as a) areas can cause problems in the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to have complete disclosure It would be prudent to enquire if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example it is reasonably common in East Hunsbury leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in East Hunsbury. If you love the apartmentin East Hunsbury but your cat is not allowed to make the move with you then you will be faced difficult compromise.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in East Hunsbury