I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed flat in Grange Over Sands.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just received a quarterly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

The sensible thing to do is clear the invoice 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 until 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Grange Over Sands. Conveyancing and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Grange Over Sands who previously acted has now retired.What should I do?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Grange Over Sands conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am looking at a couple of apartments in Grange Over Sands both have about forty five years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

A lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As the lease shortens the value of the lease deteriorate and results in it becoming more expensive to extend the lease. This is why it is often a good idea to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We advise that you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Grange Over Sands conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Grange Over Sands conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you speak with two or three 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 could be of use:

• How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation?

What makes a Grange Over Sands lease problematic?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Grange Over Sands. All leases are unique and drafting errors can result in certain clauses are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the building
• A duty to insure the building
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

You could have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Halifax, Bank of Scotland, and TSB all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to pull out.

Grange Over Sands Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

The answer will be helpful as a) areas may result in problems in the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to know about it How is the lease structured? Make sure you investigate if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. For instance it is very common in Grange Over Sands leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Grange Over Sands. If you like the apartmentin Grange Over Sands but your dog can’t live with you then you will be presented with a difficult determination.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Grange Over Sands