Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Arnos Grove:

Get a Quote

Leasehold conveyancing in Arnos Grove 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 Arnos Grove and next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Frequently asked questions relating to Arnos Grove leasehold conveyancing

Due to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in Arnos Grove. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • You should receive a copy of the lease
  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
  • 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
  • You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
  • 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
  • The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Arnos Grove please ask your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Arnos Grove

    • Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my 2 bed apartment in Arnos Grove.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

    Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the service charge as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

    I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Arnos Grove. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Arnos Grove ?

    The majority of houses in Arnos Grove are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Arnos Grove in which case you should be shopping around for a Arnos Grove conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

    Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Arnos Grove from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Arnos Grove can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers representatives.
    • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Arnos Grove state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such alterations. Where you dont have the paperwork in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer first.
  • If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where a dispute is unsettled. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve 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 will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over rather than unresolved.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you have the original share document. Organising a re-issued share certificate is often a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Arnos Grove home move. Where a duplicate share certificate is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
  • You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should verify this by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the lease term is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential 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.

    • Completion in due on our sale of a £125000 garden flat in Arnos Grove in 5 days. The managing agents has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Arnos Grove?

    Arnos Grove conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally requires the buyer’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to such questions the majority will be content to assist. They are entitled invoice a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it exceeds £800. The administration charge demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    After months of negotiations we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Arnos Grove. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

    Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a Arnos Grove conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Arnos Grove property is 23 Beaconsfield Road in July 2013. The Tribunals decided that the amount payable was £31,203 for the freehold. This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired term was 70.31 years.