I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Great Linford.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just received a quarterly service charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should 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 management companies 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.

Back In 2007, I bought a leasehold house in Great Linford. Conveyancing and Clydesdale mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Great Linford who previously acted has now retired.What should I do?

First contact the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Great Linford conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agency in Great Linford where we have experienced a few flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Great Linford conveyancing solicitors. Could you confirm whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as 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 are your top tips when it comes to finding a Great Linford conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Great Linford conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you make enquires with several firms including non Great Linford conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be of use:

• How many lease extensions has the firm carried out in Great Linford in the last twenty four months?

What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

All being well we will complete our sale of a £125000 flat in Great Linford next week. The managing agents has quoted £336 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Great Linford?

Great Linford conveyancing on leasehold apartments typically involves administration charges invoiced by landlords agents :

• Answering pre-contract enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Great Linford
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Great Linford leasehold premises is £350. For Great Linford conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to supply the information.

Great Linford Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

Make sure you find out if the the lease contains any adverse restrictions in the lease. By way of example it is very common in Great Linford leases that pets are not permitted in in a block in Great Linford. If you like the propertyin Great Linford however your dog can’t move with you then you will be faced difficult determination. This question is helpful as a) areas can result in problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where services remain unpaid b) if the tenants have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to know about it How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Great Linford