I’m about to sell my ground floor flat in Crofton Park.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just received a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay 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 management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I own a leasehold flat in Crofton Park. Conveyancing and Bank of Ireland mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Crofton Park who previously acted has now retired.Any advice?

First contact HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to incur the fees of a Crofton Park conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am looking at a two flats in Crofton Park both have about forty five years remaining on the leases. should I be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Crofton Park. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease shortens the value of the lease deteriorate and it becomes more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you seek professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Crofton Park. 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 lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, 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).

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Crofton Park from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Crofton Park can be reduced if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers representatives.
• Many freeholders or Management Companies in Crofton Park levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Crofton Park.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Crofton Park state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such works. Should you dont have the paperwork in place you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in advance.
• Some Crofton Park leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual 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 buyers or their lawyers.
• If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share certificate. Arranging a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming process and frustrates many a Crofton Park home move. If a new share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

After months of dialogue we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Crofton Park. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Crofton Park conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Crofton Park residence is Flat b 14 Kemble Road in May 2014. The Tribunal assessed the value of the premium payable for the lease extension to be £9,761 This case was in relation to 1 flat.

I invested in buying a 2 bed flat in Crofton Park, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2009. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar properties in Crofton Park with over 90 years remaining are worth £257,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2078

With 52 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £30,400 and £35,200 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.