Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Hockley

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Hockley, you will need to chose a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Clydesdale , Yorkshire Building Society or Nationwide make sure you find a lawyer on their approved list. Find a Hockley conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Frequently asked questions relating to Hockley leasehold conveyancing

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Hockley. Before I get started I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Hockley - 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.

There are only 68 years unexpired on my flat in Hockley. I need to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to locate the landlord. On the whole an enquiry agent may be useful to conduct investigations and prepare a report to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Hockley.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor apartment in Hockley.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

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.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Hockley from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Hockley can be avoided where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
  • Many landlords or Management Companies in Hockley charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Hockley.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Hockley leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Where you fail to have the paperwork to hand do not contact the landlord without contacting your solicitor first.
  • A minority of Hockley leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Hockley home move. Where a new share certificate is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • Completion in due on the disposal of our £200000 apartment in Hockley next Tuesday . The management company has quoted £312 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Hockley?

    Hockley conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally necessitates the purchaser’s lawyer sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address such questions the majority will be content to do so. They may levy a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the invoice is technically not due. In reality you have no option but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    Hockley Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

      The best form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the lessees have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently retained where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. Are there any major works in the planning that will likely add a premium to the maintenance charges? What is the annual service fee and ground rent?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Hockley