Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Levenshulme:

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Leasehold conveyancing in Levenshulme is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Levenshulme and next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Questions and Answers: Levenshulme leasehold conveyancing

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Levenshulme. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Levenshulme - 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.

I have recently realised that I have Fifty years left on my flat in Levenshulme. I now want to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have done all that could be expected to track down the freeholder. For most situations a specialist should be useful to conduct investigations and prepare a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Levenshulme.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just discovered that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Levenshulme. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Levenshulme ?

The majority of houses in Levenshulme are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Levenshulme in which case you should be shopping around for a Levenshulme conveyancing practitioner and check that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Levenshulme conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Levenshulme conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you speak with two or three firms including non Levenshulme conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

  • How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?
  • What volume of lease extensions have they carried out in Levenshulme in the last year?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Levenshulme from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Levenshulme can be avoided where you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • Some Levenshulme leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge 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 clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a re-issued share certificate can be a lengthy process and frustrates many a Levenshulme home move. Where a duplicate share is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable verify this by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • Levenshulme Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

      If a Levenshulme lease has fewer than eighty years it will affect the marketability of the flat. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. A short lease means that you will most likely require a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the premises for a couple of years before you are legally able to carry out a lease extension. Can you inform me if there are any major works in the near future that will likely increase the maintenance charges? Who are the managing agents?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Levenshulme