Leasehold Conveyancing in Forest of Dean - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Forest of Dean, you will need to chose a conveyancing lawyer with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Clydesdale , Birmingham Midshires or Bradford & Bingley be sure to find a lawyer on their approved list. Find a Forest of Dean conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Common questions relating to Forest of Dean leasehold conveyancing

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Forest of Dean. Before I set the wheels in motion I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Forest of Dean - 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.

Frank (my husband) and I may need to sub-let our Forest of Dean garden flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Forest of Dean conveyancing firm in 2004 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

The lease dictates relations between the freeholder and you the flat owner; specifically, it will indicate if subletting is not allowed, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. Most leases in Forest of Dean do not contain strict prohibition on subletting – such a provision would adversely affect the market value the property. In most cases there is a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a duplicate of the tenancy agreement.

There are only Fifty years unexpired on my flat in Forest of Dean. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder 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 mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you have done all that could be expected to track down the freeholder. In some cases an enquiry agent should be useful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Forest of Dean.

Expecting to sign contracts shortly on a studio apartment in Forest of Dean. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • You should receive a copy of the lease
  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
  • Defining your rights in relation to common areas in the building.E.G., does the lease permit a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
  • You must be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
  • I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
  • The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Forest of Dean please enquire of your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Forest of Dean

    • What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Forest of Dean conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

    When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Forest of Dean conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non Forest of Dean conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be useful:

    • How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
  • If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

    • I purchased a garden flat in Forest of Dean, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent properties in Forest of Dean with a long lease are worth £218,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2081

    You have 56 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £27,600 and £31,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

    The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Forest of Dean