Leasehold Conveyancing in Helston - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

Get a Quote

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Helston, you will need to appoint a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Santander, Birmingham Midshires or Nationwide be sure to choose a lawyer on their approved list. Feel free to use our search tool

Top Five Questions relating to Helston leasehold conveyancing

Looking forward to sign contracts shortly on a studio apartment in Helston. Conveyancing solicitors 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?

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

  • The physical extent of the premises. This will be the flat itself but could also incorporate a roof space or cellar if applicable.
  • Setting out your legal entitlements in relation to common areas in the block.For example, does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or staircase?
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
  • 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 Helston please ask your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Helston

    • I have just appointed agents to market my basement apartment in Helston.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just had a yearly service charge demand – what should I do?

    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.

    I am attracted to a couple of flats in Helston which have in the region of 50 years remaining on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

    There are plenty of short leases in Helston. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease gets shorter the value of the lease deteriorate and results in it becoming more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is advisable to extend the lease term. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage lenders may be reluctant to lend money on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

    Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Helston with the aim of saving time on the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Helston can be avoided if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
    • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Helston state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such changes. If you fail to have the approvals in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in the first instance.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over rather than unsettled.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Helston home move. Where a reissued share is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible.
  • You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but you should verify this via your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is under 75 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

    • What makes a Helston lease unacceptable for security purposes?

    Leasehold conveyancing in Helston is not unique. All leases are unique and drafting errors can result in certain clauses are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the premises
    • A duty to insure the building
    • A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
    • Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

    A defective lease will likely cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. National Westminster Bank, Bank of Scotland, and Barclays Direct 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 is defective they may refuse to provide security, forcing the buyer to withdraw.

    Helston Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying

      Does the lease include onerous restrictions? This information is important as a) areas can result in problems in the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to know about it On the whole the outlay for major works are not included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Helston ask leasehold owners to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for larger works.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Helston