Jane (my partner) and I may need to rent out our Colliers Wood ground floor flat temporarily due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Colliers Wood conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time seek any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Even though your last Colliers Wood conveyancing lawyer is not around you can check your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the property. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you must obtain permission from your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior permission. The consent is not allowed to be unreasonably turned down. If your lease prohibits you from subletting the property you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

I am hoping to sign contracts shortly on a studio apartment in Colliers Wood. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and informed of the importance of the 80 year mark
• Setting out your legal entitlements in relation to common areas in the building.By way of example, does the lease contain a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
• Does the lease prevent you from renting out the property, or working from home
• 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
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What you can do if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?

For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Colliers Wood please enquire of your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Colliers Wood

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently been informed that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Colliers Wood. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Colliers Wood ?

Most houses in Colliers Wood are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Colliers Wood in which case you should be shopping around for a Colliers Wood conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor should report to you on the legal implications.

What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Colliers Wood conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Colliers Wood conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Colliers Wood conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
• What volume of lease extensions has the firm completed in Colliers Wood in the last year?

Completion in due on our sale of a £ 500000 maisonette in Colliers Wood in seven days. The managing agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Colliers Wood?

Colliers Wood conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally involves administration charges levied by landlords agents :

• Completing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Colliers Wood
• 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 Colliers Wood leasehold premises is £350. For Colliers Wood 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 the information.

Notwithstanding our best endeavours, we have been unsuccessful in negotiating a lease extension in Colliers Wood. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

if there is a absentee freeholder or if 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 LVT to determine the premium.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Colliers Wood flat is 14 Nutwell Street in January 2014. The premium payable for the acquisition of a new lease of the subject premises was in the sum of £30,523 This case affected 1 flat. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 62.94 years.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Colliers Wood - Sample of Queries before buying

The majority of Colliers Wood leasehold flats will have a service charge for maintenance of the block levied on behalf of the landlord. Should you buy the apartment you will have to pay this amount, normally quarterly accross the year. This could vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal areas. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, normally this is not a large figure, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to enquire it because sometimes it could be prohibitively expensive. What is the the remaining lease term?