Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Greenwich:

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

Examples of recent questions relating to leasehold conveyancing in Greenwich

I want to rent out my leasehold apartment in Greenwich. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for permission?

Notwithstanding that your last Greenwich conveyancing lawyer is no longer around you can check your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The rule is that if the lease is silent, subletting is allowed. There may be a precondition that you need to obtain permission from your landlord or other appropriate person before subletting. The net result is you not allowed to sublet in the absence of prior consent. The consent must not not be unreasonably turned down. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Greenwich. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • The total extent of the premises. This will be the property itself but may include a roof space or basement if applicable.
  • Whether the lease restricts you from renting out the flat, or having a home office for business
  • You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
  • The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide. For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Greenwich please enquire of your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Greenwich

    • I've recently bought a leasehold property in Greenwich. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

    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. Strange as it may seem, 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 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).

    What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a Greenwich conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Greenwich conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you speak with several firms including non Greenwich conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

    • How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
  • How many lease extensions has the firm completed in Greenwich in the last year?

    • Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £175000 maisonette in Greenwich next Wednesday . The managing agents has quoted £312 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Greenwich?

    Greenwich conveyancing on leasehold flats often requires the purchaser’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries the majority will be willing to assist. They are entitled invoice a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it exceeds £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the charge is technically not due. In reality one has no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to sell the property.

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

    Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Greenwich conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a Greenwich premises is 73 Walerand Road in August 2012. the result of the findings of the Tribunal led to a premium to be paid for the extended lease in respect of Flat 73 in the sum of £10,040. The premium applicable in respect of Flat 85 was £5,710. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 72 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Greenwich