Leasehold Conveyancing in Gloucester - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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While any conveyancing solicitor can theoretically handle your leasehold conveyancing in Gloucester, your mortgage provider may not be willing to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Common questions relating to Gloucester leasehold conveyancing

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Gloucester. Before diving in I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Gloucester - 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.

Due to exchange soon on a garden flat in Gloucester. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, freeholder
  • The physical extent of the premises. This will be the apartment itself but could also include a roof space or basement if appropriate.
  • Setting out your rights in relation to the communal areas in the building.For example, does the lease permit a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
  • Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring?
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
  • 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
  • What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Gloucester please ask your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Gloucester

    • I own a leasehold flat in Gloucester. Conveyancing and Platform Home Loans Ltd mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing solicitor in Gloucester who previously acted has now retired.What should I do?

    The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Gloucester conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

    I've recently bought a leasehold house in Gloucester. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

    In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

    If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

    Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Gloucester with the intention of expediting the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Gloucester can be avoided where you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
    • The majority freeholders or managing agents in Gloucester charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Gloucester.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Gloucester state that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such changes. If you fail to have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your conveyancer in advance.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve 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 buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic rather than ongoing.
  • You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but you should verify this via your lawyers. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is below 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you identify 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.

    • Leasehold Conveyancing in Gloucester - Examples of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

      The majority of Gloucester leasehold apartments will incur a service bill for maintenance of the block invoiced on behalf of the management company. If you buy the property you will have to meet this liability, normally in instalments throughout the year. This can differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, normally this is not a exorbitant amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to enquire it because occasionally it could be many hundreds of pounds. For many Gloucester leaseholds the cost for major works are not included within maintenance charges, although there some managing agents in Gloucester obliged leaseholders to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance. Does this lease have in excess of 80 years remaining?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Gloucester