Looking forward to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Harrold. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Harrold should include some of the following:

• You should receive a copy of the lease

I own a leasehold house in Harrold. Conveyancing and Nottingham Building Society mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in Harrold who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

First make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Harrold conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, 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 attracted to a two flats in Harrold both have approximately 50 years remaining on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in Harrold is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the salability of the premises. For most buyers and banks, leases with under eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Harrold conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Harrold. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

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. It is an essential part 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).

I am a negotiator for a reputable estate agency in Harrold where we have experienced a few leasehold sales put at risk as a result of short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Harrold conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the seller of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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 buyer.

Harrold Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

This information is helpful as a) areas could cause problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance remain unpaid b) if the tenants have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to know about it If a Harrold lease has less than 80 years it will affect the salability of the property. Check with your mortgage company that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. A short lease means that you will most likely require a lease extension at some point and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the premises for a couple of years in order to be eligible to extend the lease. Plenty Harrold leasehold flats will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the block invoiced by the landlord. Should you acquire the property you will have to pay this contribution, usually periodically accross the year. This could vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal areas. There will also be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a large sum, say about £50-£100 but you need to check it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Harrold