Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Earlsfield:

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While any conveyancing practice can theoretically handle your leasehold conveyancing in Earlsfield, your mortgage provider may not be willing to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Earlsfield leasehold conveyancing: Q and A’s

There are only Seventy years remaining on my lease in Earlsfield. I need to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. On the whole a specialist should be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Earlsfield.

I have just started marketing my ground floor apartment in Earlsfield.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just received a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the service charge 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 own a leasehold flat in Earlsfield. Conveyancing and The Mortgage Works mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing solicitor in Earlsfield who previously acted has now retired.Do I pay?

First make enquiries of 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 Earlsfield conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Earlsfield from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

  • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Earlsfield can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
  • The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Earlsfield charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Earlsfield.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Earlsfield leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. If you fail to have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer in advance.
  • A minority of Earlsfield leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a replacement share certificate can be a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Earlsfield conveyancing deal. Where a new share is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • After months of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Earlsfield. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

    in cases where there is a absentee landlord or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the LVT to assess the sum to be paid.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Earlsfield property is 35 Trewint Street in February 2012. The Tribunal arrived at a premium of £32 425 for the freehold reversion. The matter was transferred back to the court for further consideration which required the applicants pay the premium (less any assessed costs) into court after which the court would execute a transfer of the freehold. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 70.57 years.

    What makes a Earlsfield lease problematic?

    There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Earlsfield. Most leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain sections are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

    • Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the building
    • Insurance obligations
    • A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
    • Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

    You could have difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Yorkshire Building Society, Barnsley Building Society, and Clydesdale all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Earlsfield