My wife and I may need to let out our Flitwick ground floor flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We used a Flitwick conveyancing firm in 2003 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your previous Flitwick conveyancing solicitor is not around you can check your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the property. The rule is that if the lease is silent, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you need to obtain permission from your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. This means that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior consent. The consent must not not be unreasonably withheld. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

Planning to exchange soon on a garden flat in Flitwick. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they will have a report out to me next week. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Flitwick should include some of the following:

• Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
• You must be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
• An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has
• Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames

For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Flitwick please ask your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Flitwick

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Flitwick with the intention of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Flitwick can be bypassed if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers solicitors.
• The majority freeholders or managing agents in Flitwick charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Flitwick.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Flitwick state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such works. Where you fail to have the approvals in place you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming process and frustrates many a Flitwick home move. Where a duplicate share certificate is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.
• You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to verify this by asking your lawyers. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is below 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

We expect to complete our sale of a £ 150000 maisonette in Flitwick next Tuesday . The landlords agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Flitwick?

Flitwick conveyancing on leasehold apartments typically necessitates administration charges invoiced by landlords agents :

• Answering conveyancing due diligence enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Flitwick
• 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 lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Flitwick leasehold property is £350. For Flitwick 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 supply the information.

Are there frequently found deficiencies that you witness in leases for Flitwick properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Flitwick is not unique. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain sections are erroneous. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the premises
• Insurance obligations
• A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Nationwide Building Society, Virgin Money, and Platform Home Loans Ltd all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

I am the registered owner of a 1st floor flat in Flitwick, conveyancing having been completed in 2007. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Flitwick with over 90 years remaining are worth £178,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2094

You have 68 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £12,400 and £14,200 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. 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. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.