Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Hackney:

Get a Quote

Need to find a solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Hackney on your lender’s panel? Make use of our search tool to find approved local Hackney conveyancing lawyers or nationwide solicitors on your lender’s panel .

Sample questions relating to Hackney leasehold conveyancing

I am intending to sublet my leasehold apartment in Hackney. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for permission?

Even though your previous Hackney conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can review your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to seek permission via your landlord or other appropriate person before subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without first obtaining permission. The consent must not not be unreasonably withheld. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord for their consent.

Due to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in Hackney. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they report fully within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Hackney should include some of the following:

  • How long the lease is You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark
  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
  • Are pets allowed in the flat?
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames
  • What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease? For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Hackney please ask your lawyer in advance of your conveyancing in Hackney

    • I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Hackney. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Hackney ?

    The majority of houses in Hackney are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Hackney in which case you should be shopping around for a Hackney conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

    Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Hackney with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Hackney can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
    • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Hackney leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord approving such alterations. Where you dont have the approvals in place you should not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer in advance.
  • Some Hackney leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying 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 have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic rather than unresolved.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you have the original share document. Obtaining a re-issued share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Hackney conveyancing transaction. If a reissued share certificate is required, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • Completion in due on the sale of our £325000 garden flat in Hackney on Friday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £372 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Hackney?

    Hackney conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally involves the buyer’s conveyancer sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address these enquiries the majority will be willing to do so. They may invoice a reasonable charge for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that one has little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to complete the sale of your home.

    I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such issues? Can you recommend a Hackney conveyancing firm to assist?

    You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Hackney conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Hackney premises is 150 Amhurst Road in December 2013. The tribunal concluded that the premium to be paid by the applicant for the enfranchisement of the subject property was £43,500. This case affected 4 flats. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 90 (or thereabouts).

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Hackney