I've found a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have just been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Church End. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Church End ?

Most houses in Church End are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Church End in which case you should be looking for a Church End conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor will advise you fully on all the issues.

I own a leasehold flat in Church End. Conveyancing and Skipton Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing practitioner in Church End who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

First make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Church End conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am looking at a two apartments in Church End which have about forty five years remaining on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Church End. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease gets shorter the marketability of the lease reduces and results in it becoming more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is advisable to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We recommend you seek professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this field

Last month I purchased a leasehold property in Church End. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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. A critical element 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).

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £300000 flat in Church End in 8 days. The landlords agents has quoted £300 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Church End?

Church End conveyancing on leasehold apartments usually necessitates the buyer’s lawyer submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address these enquiries the majority will be content to do so. They are entitled invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to sell the property.

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

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

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Church End flat is Ground Floor 110 Station Road in June 2013. The Tribunal found that the premium payable for a lease extension should be £31,665. This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term was 56.65 years.