Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Ham

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

Top Five Questions relating to Ham leasehold conveyancing

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Ham. Before diving in I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Ham - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title.For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Ham. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they are sending me a report on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

  • The total extent of the property. This will be the property itself but might include a loft or basement if applicable.
  • Are pets allowed in the flat?
  • You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
  • 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.
  • What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Ham please enquire of your lawyer in advance of your conveyancing in Ham

    • Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Ham.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

    It best that you pay 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 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

    I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to be perfect, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have since been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Ham. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Ham ?

    Most houses in Ham are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Ham so you should seriously consider looking for a Ham 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. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’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 part of an estate. Your solicitor should report to you on the legal implications.

    I am a negotiator for a long established estate agent office in Ham where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Ham conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

    Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

    An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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 buyer.

    We have reached the end of our tether in trying to purchase the freehold in Ham. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

    if there is a absentee landlord or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to determine the price.

    An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Ham property is Flat D 15 Claremont Gardens in September 2013. TheTribunal determined in accordance with section48 and Schedule13 of the Leasehold Reform,Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease should be fourteen thousand one hundred and eighty seven pounds (£14,187.00) This case related to 1 flat.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Ham