Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in East London:

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East London leasehold conveyancing Example Support Desk Enquiries

Planning to exchange soon on a basement flat in East London. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in East London should include some of the following:

  • You should be sent a copy of the lease
  • The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark
  • The physical extent of the property. This will be the property itself but could also incorporate a loft or basement if applicable.
  • Whether the lease restricts you from subletting the property, or working from home
  • You should be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
  • You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in East London please ask your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in East London

    • I've recently bought a leasehold property in East London. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

    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 be sure 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).

    I am employed by a busy estate agent office in East London where we have experienced a number of flat sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have been given inconsistent advice from local East London conveyancing solicitors. Could you confirm whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

    As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to 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 has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

    An alternative approach is 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.

    Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in East London from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in East London can be reduced if you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • The majority freeholders or managing agents in East London charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in East London.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? East London leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such changes. If you dont have the approvals to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your conveyancer before hand.
  • A minority of East London leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The 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 lawyers.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a re-issued share certificate is often a lengthy formality and slows down many a East London conveyancing transaction. Where a duplicate share is needed, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

    • I am the leaseholder of a ground floor flat in East London. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the amount due for a lease extension?

    in cases where there is a absentee landlord or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the LVT to determine the amount due.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a East London flat is 20 Avonwick Road in July 2013. The Tribunal was dealing with an application under Section 26 of the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 for a determination of the freehold value of the property. It was concluded that the price to be paid was Fifteen Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy (£15,970) divided as to £8,200 for Flat 20 and £7,770 for Flat 20A This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term was 73.26 years.

    What makes a East London lease unacceptable for security purposes?

    Leasehold conveyancing in East London is not unique. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain clauses are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the property
    • Insurance obligations
    • A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
    • Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

    A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Accord Mortgages Ltd, The Mortgage Works, and Platform Home Loans 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 provide security, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in East London