Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Becontree

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

Top Five Questions relating to Becontree leasehold conveyancing

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Becontree. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Becontree - 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.

Expecting to exchange soon on a garden flat in Becontree. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
  • 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
  • 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 rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?
  • What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Becontree please ask your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Becontree

    • I am employed by a reputable estate agent office in Becontree where we have experienced a few leasehold sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Becontree conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

    As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

    Alternatively, it may be possible 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.

    Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Becontree from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Becontree can be bypassed if you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • Many freeholders or Management Companies in Becontree charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information 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 common cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Becontree.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Becontree leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such changes. Should you fail to have the consents in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your conveyancer before hand.
  • A minority of Becontree leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Organising a re-issued share certificate can be a lengthy process and delays many a Becontree home move. If a new share is necessary, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • Completion in due on the disposal of our £500000 flat in Becontree on Wednesday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £360 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Becontree?

    Becontree conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not involves the buyer’s solicitor sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer such questions the majority will be content to do so. They are at liberty charge a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have little choice but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to sell the property.

    After years of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Becontree. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

    Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Becontree conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Becontree flat is 49 Aldborough Road South in July 2012. The Tribunal decided that the premium payable for the grant of the new lease was £13,925 This case related to 1 flat. The the number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 61.36 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Becontree