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

Even though your previous Frinton On Sea conveyancing solicitor is not around you can check your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the premises. The rule is that if the deeds are silent, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must obtain consent via your landlord or other appropriate person in advance of subletting. This means that you cannot sublet in the absence of first obtaining consent. The consent must not not be unreasonably turned down. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord for their consent.

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

Looking forward to sign contracts shortly on a studio apartment in Frinton On Sea. Conveyancing solicitors have said 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 Frinton On Sea should include some of the following:

• The physical extent of the property. This will be the flat itself but may include a roof space or cellar if appropriate.
• Setting out your rights in respect of common areas in the block.By way of example, does the lease provide for a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
• You should be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
• The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
• Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Frinton On Sea please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Frinton On Sea

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Frinton On Sea. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Frinton On Sea are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Frinton On Sea so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Frinton On Sea conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Frinton On Sea with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Frinton On Sea can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers conveyancers.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Frinton On Sea leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. Where you fail to have the approvals to hand do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.
• A minority of Frinton On Sea leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.
• If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a property where a dispute is unresolved. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over rather than ongoing.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable verify this via your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the remaining number of years is below 75 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

All being well we will complete our sale of a £ 450000 apartment in Frinton On Sea next Wednesday . The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Frinton On Sea?

Frinton On Sea conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally involves the buyer’s solicitor submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions the majority will be content to do so. They are at liberty levy a reasonable charge for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it is in excess of £800. The administration charge demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the invoice is technically not due. Reality however dictates that you have little option but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

I acquired a 1st floor flat in Frinton On Sea, conveyancing was carried out in 1995. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Frinton On Sea with a long lease are worth £175,000. The ground rent is £60 per annum. The lease ends on 21st October 2105

You have 79 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £10,500 and £12,000 as well as legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.