I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Fenny Stratford. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Fenny Stratford - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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.

I am employed by a busy estate agent office in Fenny Stratford where we see a number of flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Fenny Stratford conveyancing firms. Please can you clarify whether the seller of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have 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 simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Fenny Stratford with the aim of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Fenny Stratford can be reduced where you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
• Many freeholders or Management Companies in Fenny Stratford levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Fenny Stratford.

In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Fenny Stratford leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. If you fail to have the approvals to hand do not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer before hand.

If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming process and delays many a Fenny Stratford conveyancing deal. If a new share certificate is necessary, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but you should double-check by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the lease term is under 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £375000 garden flat in Fenny Stratford in 5 days. The management company has quoted £372 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Fenny Stratford?

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

• Completing pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Fenny Stratford
• 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 conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Fenny Stratford leasehold premises is £350. For Fenny Stratford 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.

What makes a Fenny Stratford lease unacceptable for security purposes?

Leasehold conveyancing in Fenny Stratford is not unique. All leases are individual and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain clauses are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the property
• Insurance obligations
• 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 may have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. National Westminster Bank, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Britannia all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to provide security, obliging the purchaser to pull out.

I inherited a 1 bedroom flat in Fenny Stratford, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Fenny Stratford with over 90 years remaining are worth £221,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2094

You have 72 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £11,400 and £13,200 as well as legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.

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Lease Extensions in Fenny Stratford