Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Kingstanding. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Kingstanding - 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.

Jane (my partner) and I may need to rent out our Kingstanding ground floor flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Kingstanding conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have closed and we did not think at the time get any guidance as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Even though your last Kingstanding conveyancing lawyer is not available you can check your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The accepted inference is that if the lease is silent, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must seek consent via your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without prior permission. Such consent must not not be unreasonably withheld. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

Due to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Kingstanding. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they are sending me a report on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Defining your rights in relation to common areas in the building.E.G., does the lease include a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
• Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring?
• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
• 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
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Kingstanding. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Kingstanding are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Kingstanding so you should seriously consider looking for a Kingstanding conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will advise you fully on all the issues.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Kingstanding from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Kingstanding can be avoided where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Kingstanding state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. If you fail to have the approvals in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in the first instance.
• Some Kingstanding leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the annual 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 purchasers or their solicitors.
• If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where a dispute is unsettled. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a replacement share certificate is often a lengthy process and delays many a Kingstanding conveyancing transaction. Where a new share is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

I invested in buying a garden flat in Kingstanding, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2003. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent properties in Kingstanding with a long lease are worth £241,000. The ground rent is £65 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 2088

With 62 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £21,900 and £25,200 plus legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.