Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Laindon:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Laindon, you will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Lloyds, Birmingham Midshires or Bradford & Bingley make sure you find a lawyer on their panel. Find a Laindon conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Frequently asked questions relating to Laindon leasehold conveyancing

There are only 72 years remaining on my flat in Laindon. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. 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 for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to track down the lessor. In some cases an enquiry agent should be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be used as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Laindon.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Laindon. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Laindon are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Laindon so you should seriously consider looking for a Laindon 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 comes with conditions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Laindon. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part 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).

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Laindon with the aim of expediting the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Laindon can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
  • The majority landlords or Management Companies in Laindon charge for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Laindon.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Laindon state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such changes. Should you fail to have the approvals to hand you should not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in the first instance.
  • Some Laindon leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to 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 able to meet 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. 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 particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved.

    • Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £125000 garden flat in Laindon next week. The landlords agents has quoted £336 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Laindon?

    Laindon conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally necessitates the purchaser’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries most will be willing to do so. They are entitled charge a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is above £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that one has little option but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    I purchased a 1st floor flat in Laindon, conveyancing having been completed in 2011. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Laindon with an extended lease are worth £200,000. The ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2104

    With 80 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £10,500 and £12,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

    The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Laindon