I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Blackfen. Before I set the wheels in motion I would like to find out the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Blackfen - 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.

I’m about to sell my garden flat in Blackfen.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a quarterly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the invoice 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.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Blackfen with the intention of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Blackfen can be bypassed if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers representatives.
• The majority freeholders or managing agents in Blackfen charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Blackfen.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Blackfen leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. Should you fail to have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance.
• If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share document. Organising a new share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Blackfen conveyancing deal. If a reissued share is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but you should verify this by asking your lawyers. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is under 75 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

Completion in due on the disposal of our £ 325000 flat in Blackfen on Wednesday in a week. The management company has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Blackfen?

Blackfen conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes nine out of ten times involves administration charges levied by management companies :

• Answering conveyancing due diligence enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Blackfen
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Blackfen leasehold property is £350. For Blackfen conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to supply answers.

Despite our best endeavours, we have been unsuccessful in trying to purchase the freehold in Blackfen. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

if there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to assess the price payable.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Blackfen flat is 103a Footscray Road in January 2014. The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the extended lease should be £34,500 according to the expert witness valuation calculation This case was in relation to 1 flat.

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Blackfen what are the most frequent lease defects?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Blackfen. All leases are individual and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain clauses are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the premises
• A duty to insure the building
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

You may have difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. HSBC Bank, Coventry Building Society, and Aldermore all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.

I am the registered owner of a 2 bed flat in Blackfen, conveyancing having been completed in 1996. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable properties in Blackfen with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2088

With just 62 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £19,000 and £22,000 plus costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.