Examples of recent questions relating to leasehold conveyancing in Highcliffe
Expecting to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Highcliffe. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me next week. What should I be looking out for?
The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Highcliffe should include some of the following:
- You should receive a copy of the lease
Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Highcliffe. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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 ensure 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).
Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Highcliffe conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Highcliffe conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Highcliffe conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be of use:
- How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?
Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Highcliffe from the point of view of expediting the sale process?
- A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Highcliffe can be avoided if you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
- Many freeholders or Management Companies in Highcliffe levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Highcliffe.
What makes a Highcliffe lease defective?
There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Highcliffe. All leases are individual and drafting errors can result in certain provisions are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:
- Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the premises
- 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 difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Yorkshire Building Society, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Barclays Direct all have very detailed 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 pull out.
I purchased a 1 bedroom flat in Highcliffe, conveyancing formalities finalised 1999. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar properties in Highcliffe with over 90 years remaining are worth £204,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2089
With only 65 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £18,100 and £20,800 as well as professional fees.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.
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