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

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Egremont, you will need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Santander, Yorkshire Building Society or NatWest make sure you find a lawyer on their approved list. Feel free to use our search tool

Common questions relating to Egremont leasehold conveyancing

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Egremont.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge 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 management companies 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.

Back In 2005, I bought a leasehold flat in Egremont. Conveyancing and HSBC Bank mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing practitioner in Egremont who acted for me is not around.What should I do?

First contact HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Egremont conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Egremont. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

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. However, 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).

What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a Egremont conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Egremont conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you speak with several firms including non Egremont conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be helpful:

  • If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?
  • What volume of lease extensions has the firm completed in Egremont in the last year?

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

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Egremont can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
    • Many landlords or Management Companies in Egremont charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Egremont.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Egremont leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord approving such alterations. If you dont have the paperwork in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer before hand.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic rather than unsettled.
  • If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Organising a re-issued share certificate is often a time consuming process and frustrates many a Egremont home move. If a new share is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

    • Egremont Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

      Make sure you find out if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. For example some leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Egremont. If you like the propertyin Egremont however your cat can’t make the move with you then you will be faced hard determination. Are there any major works on the horizon that will add a premium to the maintenance charges? Who are the managing agents?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Egremont