I want to rent out my leasehold flat in Kempston. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Your lease dictates relations between the freeholder and you the flat owner; specifically, it will say if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The rule is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. Most leases in Kempston do not contain strict prohibition on subletting – such a provision would undoubtedly devalue the flat. In most cases there is simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a duplicate of the sublease.

Looking forward to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Kempston. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they report fully tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Setting out your legal entitlements in respect of the communal areas in the building.For instance, does the lease permit a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
• Whether the lease restricts you from letting out the property, or working from home
• You need to be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
• What options are open to you if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease?
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor apartment in Kempston.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear 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 until 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.

Back In 2008, I bought a leasehold flat in Kempston. Conveyancing and Virgin Money mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing practitioner in Kempston who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

First contact the Land Registry to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Kempston conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

What makes a Kempston lease unacceptable for security purposes?

Leasehold conveyancing in Kempston is not unique. Most leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the premises
• Insurance obligations
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

A defective lease will likely cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Accord Mortgages Ltd, The Mortgage Works, and Barclays Direct all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to pull out.

Kempston Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

You should be aware that where the lease has fewer than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the apartment. Check with your lender that they are content with residual term of the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will probably need a lease extension at some point and it is worth finding out what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the premises for a couple of years before you are entitled to extend the lease. You will want to find out as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they can either make living at the property much simpler or uncomfortable. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily matters such as the upkeep of the communal areas. Ask other tenants if they are happy with their service. On a final note, find out the dates that the service fees are due to the managing agents and specifically what it includes. The majority of Kempston leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the block set on behalf of the management company. If you buy the property you will have to pay this liability, usually periodically throughout the year. This could differ from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common grounds. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay annual, this is usually not a significant figure, say about £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because on occasion it could be prohibitively expensive.