I am hoping to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in East Sheen. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in East Sheen should include some of the following:

• Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• You must be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
• 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
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?
• What you can do if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?

I’m about to sell my basement apartment in East Sheen.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a quarterly service charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear 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 managing agents 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 am looking at a two maisonettes in East Sheen both have in the region of 50 years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in East Sheen. The lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As a lease shortens the marketability of the lease decreases and it becomes more expensive to extend the lease. For this reason it is often a good idea to extend the lease term. 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 properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We advise that you get professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena

I am employed by a reputable estate agency in East Sheen where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales put at risk as a result of short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local East Sheen conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 purchaser.

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a East Sheen conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a East Sheen conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you speak with two or three firms including non East Sheen conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

• How many lease extensions have they completed in East Sheen in the last year?
• Can they put you in touch with client in East Sheen who can give a testimonial?

After years of dialogue we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in East Sheen. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

Where there is a absentee freeholder or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to decide the sum to be paid.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a East Sheen residence is 19 St. Margarets Crescent in August 2010. the tribunal was of the view that the premium to be paid by the leaseholder for the freehold reversion was £51,983.00 This case affected 3 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 66.25 years.

East Sheen Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

How long is the Lease? It would be a good idea to enquire if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. By way of example it is very common in East Sheen leases that pets are not allowed in in a block in East Sheen. If you love the propertyin East Sheen but your cat can’t make the move with you then you will be faced hard decision.