Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Church End:

Get a Quote

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Church End, you will need to chose a conveyancing lawyer with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Clydesdale , Birmingham Midshires or Bradford & Bingley make sure you choose a lawyer on their approved list. Find a Church End conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Frequently asked questions relating to Church End leasehold conveyancing

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Church End. Before I get started I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Church End - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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 am employed by a reputable estate agency in Church End where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales derailed due to short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Church End conveyancing solicitors. Can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities 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 start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is 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.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Church End conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Church End conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you talk with several firms including non Church End conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

  • How familiar is the practice with lease extension legislation?
  • What are the charges for lease extension work?

    • Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Church End with the intention of saving time on the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Church End can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
    • Many landlords or managing agents in Church End charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Church End.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Church End leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord approving such alterations. Should you dont have the approvals to hand you should not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer in the first instance.
  • Some Church End leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Obtaining a re-issued share certificate can be a lengthy process and frustrates many a Church End conveyancing deal. Where a duplicate share certificate is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without success. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal decide on such issues? Can you recommend a Church End conveyancing firm to represent me?

    if there is a absentee landlord or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to assess the sum to be paid.

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a Church End flat is Flat 1 30 Ennismore Avenue in September 2010. the Tribunal adopted and arrived at a premium for the lease extension of £29, 900 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The the number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 68.34 years.

    What makes a Church End lease unmortgageable?

    Leasehold conveyancing in Church End is not unique. All leases is drafted differently and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain provisions are not included. 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

    A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Accord Mortgages Ltd, Coventry Building Society, and Aldermore all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to withdraw.