Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Kendal. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Kendal - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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.

Harry (my fiance) and I may need to rent out our Kendal basement flat for a while due to a career opportunity. We used a Kendal conveyancing practice in 2003 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to get any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your last Kendal conveyancing solicitor is not available you can check your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to seek permission from your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet in the absence of first obtaining consent. The consent is not allowed to be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

I am hoping to complete next month on a studio apartment in Kendal. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they are sending me a report next week. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Kendal should include some of the following:

• You should be sent a copy of the lease

The total extent of the premises. This will be the property itself but may include a loft or cellar if applicable.

Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?

Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?

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 options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Kendal please ask your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Kendal

I am looking at a two flats in Kendal which have in the region of fifty years left on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Kendal. The lease is a right to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As the lease shortens the saleability of the lease reduces and results in it becoming more costly to extend the lease. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage companies may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you seek professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £175000 maisonette in Kendal in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £324 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Kendal?

Kendal conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes nine out of ten times involves administration charges levied by landlords agents :

• Completing conveyancing due diligence questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Kendal
• 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 Kendal leasehold property is £350. For Kendal 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 supply answers.

Kendal Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Does the lease have onerous restrictions? Does the lease have more than 80 years unexpired? Plenty Kendal leasehold flats will have a service charge for the upkeep of the block set on behalf of the landlord. Should you buy the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, normally periodically accross the year. This could differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common grounds. In all probability there will be a rentcharge to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant sum, say about £50-£100 but you should to check it because on occasion it can be many hundreds of pounds.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Kendal