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

Any conveyancing solicitor can theoretically handle your leasehold conveyancing in Chalk Farm, your mortgage provider may not be willing to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Frequently asked questions relating to Chalk Farm leasehold conveyancing

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Chalk Farm. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Chalk Farm - 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.

Helen (my wife) and I may need to sub-let our Chalk Farm ground floor flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Chalk Farm conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Even though your last Chalk Farm conveyancing solicitor is not around you can check your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the premises. The rule is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to seek permission via your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. The net result is you not allowed to sublet without prior permission. The consent must not not be unreasonably withheld. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

Due to complete next month on a studio apartment in Chalk Farm. Conveyancing solicitors assured me 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 Chalk Farm should include some of the following:

  • Setting out your rights in relation to the communal areas in the block.For example, does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
  • 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
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
  • You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
  • 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.
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames
  • What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Chalk Farm please ask your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Chalk Farm

  • Last month I purchased a leasehold property in Chalk Farm. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

    Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part 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).

    Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £450000 flat in Chalk Farm on Tuesday in a week. The managing agents has quoted £336 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Chalk Farm?

    Chalk Farm conveyancing on leasehold flats typically results in fees being levied by freeholders :

    • Answering pre-exchange enquiries
    • Where consent is required before sale in Chalk Farm
    • Copies of the building insurance and schedule
    • 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 Chalk Farm leasehold property is £350. For Chalk Farm 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 provide answers.

    I am the registered owner of a basement flat in Chalk Farm. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the sum payable for the purchase of the freehold?

    You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Chalk Farm conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Chalk Farm flat is Flat 2 27 Mackeson Road in December 2012. The Tribunal assessed the value of the lease extension premium at £35,435 and rounded the figure to £35,500 This case affected 1 flat. The the number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 64.77 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Chalk Farm