Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Grange Over Sands:

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

Recently asked questions relating to Grange Over Sands leasehold conveyancing

There are only Sixty One years remaining on my flat in Grange Over Sands. I now want to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What options are available to me?

On the basis that 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 extended by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have done all that could be expected to locate the lessor. For most situations an enquiry agent would be helpful to try and locate and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Grange Over Sands.

I’m about to sell my ground floor apartment in Grange Over Sands.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a half-yearly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you pay the service charge as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a Grange Over Sands conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Grange Over Sands conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you talk with several firms including non Grange Over Sands conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

  • What volume of lease extensions have they carried out in Grange Over Sands in the last twenty four months?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Grange Over Sands who can give a testimonial?

    • Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Grange Over Sands with the intention of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Grange Over Sands can be reduced if you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
    • Many landlords or managing agents in Grange Over Sands charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Grange Over Sands.
  • A minority of Grange Over Sands leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are 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 purchasers or their lawyers.
  • If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over rather than unresolved.
  • If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should ensure that you have the original share certificate. Arranging a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming formality and slows down many a Grange Over Sands conveyancing transaction. Where a duplicate share certificate is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • All being well we will complete the sale of our £125000 apartment in Grange Over Sands on Monday in a week. The management company has quoted £336 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Grange Over Sands?

    Grange Over Sands conveyancing on leasehold flats often requires the buyer’s conveyancer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address these enquiries the majority will be willing to do so. They are entitled charge a reasonable charge for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some transactions it is in excess of £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that one has no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    Grange Over Sands Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before buying

      Please note that where the lease has less than 80 years it will impact the value of the property. It is worth checking with your lender that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out what this will be. For most Grange Over Sandslease extensions you will be be obliged to have owned the property for a couple of years in order to be legally able to carry out a lease extension. It is important to be aware if redecorating or some other major work is coming up that will be shared between the tenants and will materially impact the level of the service fees or require a specific payment. Is anyone aware of any major works on the horizon that will likely add a premium to the service costs?

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    Lease Extensions in Grange Over Sands