Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Liverpool:

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While any conveyancing practice can theoretically deal with your leasehold conveyancing in Liverpool, your mortgage provider may not be willing to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Top Five Questions relating to Liverpool leasehold conveyancing

Due to exchange soon on a basement flat in Liverpool. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they report fully on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
  • You must be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
  • Repair and maintenance of the flat
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Liverpool please ask your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Liverpool

    • My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Liverpool. Conveyancing and Coventry Building Society mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing solicitor in Liverpool who previously acted has now retired.Any advice?

    First make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to incur the fees of a Liverpool conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that regardless, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

    I am looking at a couple of flats in Liverpool which have in the region of fifty years left on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?

    A lease is a right to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease shortens the marketability of the lease decreases and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We advise that you get professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area

    What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Liverpool conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    When appointing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Liverpool conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Liverpool conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be of use:

    • If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
  • How many lease extensions have they completed in Liverpool in the last twenty four months?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Liverpool from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Liverpool can be avoided if you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
    • Many freeholders or Management Companies in Liverpool charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Liverpool.
  • If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where a dispute is ongoing. 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 prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over rather than ongoing.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you have the original share certificate. Obtaining a new share certificate is often a time consuming process and slows down many a Liverpool conveyancing deal. If a duplicate share certificate is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable verify this via your solicitors. A buyer’s lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 75 years. It is therefore important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

    • I inherited a 2 bed flat in Liverpool, conveyancing having been completed in 2010. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar properties in Liverpool with over 90 years remaining are worth £258,000. The ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2090

    You have 65 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £15,200 and £17,600 plus legals.

    The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Liverpool