I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Henbury. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Henbury - 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.

Due to complete next month on a garden flat in Henbury. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years

I've found a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Henbury. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Henbury are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Henbury in which case you should be shopping around for a Henbury conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

I am employed by a long established estate agent office in Henbury where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have received conflicting advice from local Henbury conveyancing firms. Could you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is 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.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Henbury conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Henbury conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Henbury conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be helpful:

• What volume of lease extensions have they completed in Henbury in the last twenty four months?

Leasehold Conveyancing in Henbury - Sample of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

Does the lease have more than 80 years left? Its a good idea to discover as much as you can about the company managing the block as they can either make life much simpler or much more difficult. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters like the tidiness of the common parts. Don't be shy to ask prospective neighbours what they think of them. In conclusion, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and specifically what you get for your money. Who is in charge of the block?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Henbury