I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Forest Hall. Before I get started I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Forest Hall - 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.

I want to let out my leasehold apartment in Forest Hall. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

A lease dictates the relationship between the freeholder and you the flat owner; in particular, it will indicate if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. The majority of leases in Forest Hall do not contain strict prohibition on subletting – such a clause would undoubtedly devalue the property. Instead, there is usually simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a copy of the sublease.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 62 years unexpired on my flat in Forest Hall. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What should I do?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to track down the lessor. On the whole a specialist would be useful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Forest Hall.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Forest Hall from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Forest Hall can be reduced where you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Forest Hall state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord approving such works. If you dont have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer before hand.

Some Forest Hall leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain 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 you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you are holding the original share certificate. Organising a re-issued share certificate can be a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Forest Hall home move. If a new share certificate is required, do contact the company officers 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 it would be advisable double-check by asking your lawyers. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is less than 75 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

Completion in due on our sale of a £200000 apartment in Forest Hall in just under a week. The management company has quoted £348 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Forest Hall?

For most leasehold sales in Forest Hall 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 enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Forest Hall
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Forest Hall leasehold property is £350. For Forest Hall 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 required to supply answers.

Forest Hall Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask before buying

Most Forest Hall leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the building levied on behalf of the freeholder. Should you buy the flat you will have to meet this contribution, normally quarterly accross the year. This could be anything from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal grounds. In all probability there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a large figure, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to enquire as on occasion it can be many hundreds of pounds. Is there a share of the freehold? You should want to discover as much as possible regarding the company managing the building as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters such as the upkeep of the communal areas. You should not be afraid to ask other tenants what they think of them. Finally, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and specifically what it includes.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Forest Hall