Leasehold Conveyancing in Barnsbury - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

Get a Quote

Require a conveyancing quote from a solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Barnsbury on your lender’s panel? Use our search tool to find approved local Barnsbury conveyancing practitioners or national solicitors on your lender’s panel .

Common questions relating to Barnsbury leasehold conveyancing

I only have 68 years unexpired on my flat in Barnsbury. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the landlord. In some cases an enquiry agent should be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Barnsbury.

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Barnsbury. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

  • You should be sent a copy of the lease
  • The physical extent of the premises. This will be the flat itself but could also include a roof space or basement if applicable.
  • Setting out your rights in relation to the communal areas in the block.For instance, does the lease grant a right of way over a path or staircase?
  • Does the lease prevent you from subletting the property, or working from home
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • 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 For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Barnsbury please enquire of your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Barnsbury

    • I am looking at a two flats in Barnsbury both have in the region of fifty years left on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

    There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in Barnsbury is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the value of the property. For most buyers and mortgage companies, leases with less than eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Barnsbury conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

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

    If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Barnsbury conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you talk with two or three firms including non Barnsbury conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

    • If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?
  • What are the charges for lease extension work?

    • Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Barnsbury from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Barnsbury can be reduced if you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
    • The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Barnsbury levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought 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 usual reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Barnsbury.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Barnsbury leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Should you dont have the consents in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor in advance.
  • If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and 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 present the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share certificate. Obtaining a new share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Barnsbury conveyancing deal. If a duplicate share is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • I have given up seeking a lease extension in Barnsbury. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

    if there is a absentee freeholder or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to make a decision on the price.

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a Barnsbury flat is Flat 120, Clare Court Judd Street in August 2013. the Tribunal held that the premium to be paid for the extension of the lease should be £64,650 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 62.79 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Barnsbury