Experts for Leasehold Conveyancing in Crystal Palace

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Crystal Palace, you will need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Halifax, Yorkshire Building Society or NatWest be sure to find a lawyer on their approved list. Feel free to use our search tool

Crystal Palace leasehold conveyancing Example Support Desk Enquiries

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Crystal Palace. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Crystal Palace are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Crystal Palace so you should seriously consider looking for a Crystal Palace conveyancing practitioner and check that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the freeholder’spermission to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor will report to you on the legal implications.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Crystal Palace. Conveyancing and The Mortgage Works mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing solicitor in Crystal Palace who acted for me is not around.What should I do?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Crystal Palace conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Crystal Palace. 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. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure 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).

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Crystal Palace from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Crystal Palace can be avoided if you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers.
  • The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Crystal Palace levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Crystal Palace.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Crystal Palace leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such works. Where you dont have the approvals to hand do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.
  • A minority of Crystal Palace leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand 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 solicitors.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a re-issued share certificate is often a time consuming process and slows down many a Crystal Palace home move. If a duplicate share is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible.

    • I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without success. Can one apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Crystal Palace conveyancing firm to represent me?

    Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Crystal Palace conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Crystal Palace premises is Flat 5 4 Border Crescent in December 2013. the tribunal calculated that premium payable for the acquisition of a lease extension of the subject premises was in the sum of £14,900 (Fourteen thousand, nine hundred pounds). Those advising the applicant were advised to send a copy of the decision and a copy of the new lease with the premium (less the applicants costs as assessed by the Court) to the Croydon County Court (under claim number 3CR01226) for an officer of the Court to execute the new lease on behalf of the absentee landlord who is missing and cannot be traced). This case was in relation to 1 flat. The the number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 69 years.

    What makes a Crystal Palace lease unmortgageable?

    There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Crystal Palace. Most leases is drafted differently and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain sections are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain elements 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

    You will encounter difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. National Westminster Bank, Virgin Money, and Britannia all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Crystal Palace