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

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Any conveyancing solicitor can theoretically deal with your leasehold conveyancing in Church End, your mortgage provider may unwilling to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Frequently asked questions relating to Church End leasehold conveyancing

Due to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Church End. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they are sending me a report tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

  • Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property?
  • Does the lease prevent you from letting out the flat, or working from home
  • You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • 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
  • Repair and maintenance of the flat
  • 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 Church End please ask your lawyer in advance of your conveyancing in Church End

    • I’m about to sell my basement flat in Church End.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

    It best that you 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.

    I've found a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Church End. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

    The majority of houses in Church End are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Church End in which case you should be shopping around for a Church End conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

    What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a Church End conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

    When appointing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Church End conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you speak with several firms including non Church End conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be useful:

    • How many lease extensions has the firm completed in Church End in the last 12 months?
  • What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Church End from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Church End can be reduced if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • Many freeholders or managing agents in Church End charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought as soon as you have 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 Church End.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Church End leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such works. If you dont have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.
  • If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Church End home move. Where a duplicate share is required, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

    • Following months of dialogue we cannot 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?

    in cases where there is a absentee landlord or if there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to determine the price.

    An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Church End residence 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 was in relation to 1 flat. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 56.65 years.