You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

Looking forward to complete next month on a garden flat in Hyde Park. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they will have a report out to me on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Hyde Park should include some of the following:

• Setting out your legal entitlements in respect of common areas in the building.For example, does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
• Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property?
• You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Hyde Park please ask your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Hyde Park

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Hyde Park. Conveyancing and Bank of Scotland mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Hyde Park who previously acted has long since retired.What should I do?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Hyde Park conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Hyde Park. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

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. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element 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).

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Hyde Park conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Hyde Park conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Hyde Park conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be useful:

• Can they put you in touch with client in Hyde Park who can give a testimonial?
• What are the costs for lease extension work?

All being well we will complete the disposal of our £ 350000 apartment in Hyde Park next week. The landlords agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Hyde Park?

Hyde Park conveyancing on leasehold flats normally results in fees being levied by landlords agents :

• Completing conveyancing due diligence enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Hyde Park
• 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 lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Hyde Park leasehold property is £350. For Hyde Park 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 provide the information.

I acquired a 1st floor flat in Hyde Park, conveyancing was carried out 6 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Hyde Park with a long lease are worth £238,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2079

With only 53 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £32,300 and £37,400 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.