Helen (my wife) and I may need to rent out our Fowey ground floor flat temporarily due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Fowey conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

A lease dictates relations between the landlord and you the leaseholder; specifically, it will indicate if subletting is banned, 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. The majority of leases in Fowey do not contain subletting altogether – such a clause would adversely affect the market value the property. Instead, there is usually a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a duplicate of the sublease.

I work for a reputable estate agent office in Fowey where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have been given contradictory information from local Fowey conveyancing firms. Please can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension process 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 start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

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.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Fowey conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Fowey conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Fowey conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be useful:

• How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?

Completion in due on our sale of a £450000 apartment in Fowey next Monday . The landlords agents has quoted £360 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Fowey?

Fowey conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not requires the purchaser’s conveyancer sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address such questions most will be willing to do so. They are entitled levy a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the invoice is technically not due. Reality however dictates that one has little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to complete the sale of your home.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Fowey what are the most common lease defects?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Fowey. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain sections are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain parts 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 as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Barclays , Coventry Building Society, and Clydesdale all have very detailed conveyancing instructions 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, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

Fowey Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before buying

It would be sensible to enquire if the the lease includes any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in in a block in Fowey. If you like the propertyin Fowey however your dog can’t move with you then you will be faced hard decision. Where a Fowey lease has fewer than eighty years it will affect the value of the flat. It is worth checking with your bank that they are happy with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will probably have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth finding out how much this will be. For most Foweylease extensions you will be be obliged to have owned the residence for 24 months before you are entitled to extend the lease. This question is useful as a) areas can result in problems for the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the running of the building you will wish to have all the details

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Fowey