Due to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Hemel Hempstead. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they report fully next week. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Setting out your rights in respect of common areas in the building.For instance, does the lease include a right of way over an accessway or hallways?

Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring?

Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?

Does the lease prevent you from letting out the property, or having a home office for business

You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions

Repair and maintenance of the flat

Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice? For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Hemel Hempstead please enquire of your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Hemel Hempstead

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement apartment in Hemel Hempstead.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the service charge 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 unless 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a Hemel Hempstead conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Hemel Hempstead conveyancing practice) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you speak with two or three firms including non Hemel Hempstead conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be helpful:

• How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation?

What are the charges for lease extension conveyancing?

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £250000 apartment in Hemel Hempstead in 10 days. The freeholder has quoted £336 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Hemel Hempstead?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Hemel Hempstead conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Addressing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Hemel Hempstead
• 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 conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Hemel Hempstead leasehold property is £350. For Hemel Hempstead 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 obliged to supply the information.

What makes a Hemel Hempstead lease unacceptable for security purposes?

Leasehold conveyancing in Hemel Hempstead is not unique. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain provisions are erroneous. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the property
• Insurance obligations
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

You will encounter 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. Nationwide Building Society, Barnsley Building Society, and Britannia all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

Hemel Hempstead Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

How much is the ground rent and service charge? The prefered form of lease structure is if the freehold interest is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the tenants benefit from control and even though a managing agent is frequently employed where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Is the freehold owned jointly by the tenants?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Hemel Hempstead