I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Hessle. Before diving in I would like to find out the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Hessle - 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.

I own a leasehold house in Hessle. Conveyancing and Barclays mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Hessle who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to instruct a Hessle conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that in any event, 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 couple of apartments in Hessle which have approximately fifty years unexpired on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are plenty of short leases in Hessle. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As the lease shortens the marketability of the lease deteriorate and results in it becoming more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is often a good idea to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena

What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Hessle conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Hessle conveyancing practice) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you talk with several firms including non Hessle 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 of use:

• How many lease extensions have they completed in Hessle in the last 12 months?

What makes a Hessle lease defective?

Leasehold conveyancing in Hessle is not unique. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain provisions are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the building
• A duty to insure the building
• 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 have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Accord Mortgages Ltd, Virgin Money, and Aldermore all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to pull out.

Hessle Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

This question is important as a) areas could result in problems for the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if services remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to have full disclosure It would be prudent to investigate if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. By way of example it is fairly common in Hessle leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Hessle. If you love the flatin Hessle yet your dog can’t live with you then you have a very hard compromise. Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the block?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Hessle