I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Handforth. Before I get started I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Handforth - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

My fiance and I may need to sub-let our Handforth 1st floor flat for a while due to a new job. We used a Handforth conveyancing practice in 2004 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time get any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Even though your last Handforth conveyancing solicitor is not around you can review your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the property. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are silent, subletting is allowed. There may be a precondition that you are obliged to seek consent via your landlord or other appropriate person before subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without prior consent. The consent must not not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Handforth. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• How long the lease is You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years
• Setting out your rights in relation to the communal areas in the block.For instance, does the lease provide for a right of way over an accessway or staircase?
• You need to be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
• Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Handforth. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Handforth ?

The majority of houses in Handforth are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Handforth so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Handforth conveyancing practitioner and check that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your conveyancer should advise you fully on all the issues.

What makes a Handforth lease problematic?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Handforth. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain provisions are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the building
• Insurance obligations
• A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

You may have difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Accord Mortgages Ltd, The Mortgage Works, and Alliance & Leicester all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

I am the registered owner of a studio flat in Handforth, conveyancing formalities finalised 2002. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Handforth with a long lease are worth £186,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2076

With just 50 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £32,300 and £37,400 plus professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.