Planning to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Haslington. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• How long the lease is You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark

The physical extent of the demise. This will be the apartment itself but could also include a roof space or basement if appropriate.

Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?

Whether the lease restricts you from renting out the flat, or having a home office for business

Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?

Responsibility for repairing the window frames

What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Haslington please enquire of your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Haslington

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since found out that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Haslington. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Haslington are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Haslington so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Haslington conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in advising 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 with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the freeholder’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.

Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Haslington. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation 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).

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Haslington conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Haslington conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with several firms including non Haslington conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be useful:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

Can they put you in touch with client in Haslington who can give a testimonial?

Completion in due on our sale of a £375000 maisonette in Haslington in just under a week. The managing agents has quoted £384 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Haslington?

Haslington conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes ordinarily necessitates fees being invoiced by managing agents :

• Answering pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Haslington
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Haslington leasehold property is £350. For Haslington 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.

I own a 2 bed flat in Haslington, conveyancing having been completed in 2008. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Haslington with over 90 years remaining are worth £168,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease ends on 21st October 2104

You have 79 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

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Lease Extensions in Haslington