Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Llandudno:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Llandudno, you will need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Lloyds, RBS or Nationwide make sure you choose a lawyer on their panel. Feel free to use our search tool

Questions and Answers: Llandudno leasehold conveyancing

I am looking at a two apartments in Llandudno which have in the region of forty five years left on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Llandudno. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As the lease shortens the value of the lease deteriorate and results in it becoming more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is generally wise to extend the lease term. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage companies may be reluctant 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

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Llandudno. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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).

I am employed by a busy estate agency in Llandudno where we have experienced a few flat sales put at risk as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Llandudno conveyancing solicitors. Can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension process for the buyer?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Llandudno with the intention of expediting the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Llandudno can be avoided where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers lawyers.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Llandudno leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. If you dont have the approvals to hand do not contact the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance.
  • Some Llandudno 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. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet 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 landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to 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 details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unsettled.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Obtaining a replacement share certificate can be a lengthy process and delays many a Llandudno conveyancing transaction. If a reissued share certificate is required, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • All being well we will complete our sale of a £400000 garden flat in Llandudno in just under a week. The management company has quoted £300 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Llandudno?

    Llandudno conveyancing on leasehold apartments more often than not involves the buyer’s lawyer sending questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address these enquiries the majority will be content to assist. They are at liberty charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it exceeds £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the charge is not strictly payable. In reality one has no choice but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Llandudno, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2004. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Llandudno with an extended lease are worth £267,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2093

    With 70 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £13,300 and £15,400 as well as professional fees.

    The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Llandudno