I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Harefield. Before diving in I would like to find out the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Harefield - 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.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 68 years left on my flat in Harefield. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?

On the basis that 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 mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the landlord. For most situations a specialist may be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document which can be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Harefield.

You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

I am hoping to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in Harefield. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they report fully tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years
• Defining your legal entitlements in relation to the communal areas in the building.For instance, does the lease permit a right of way over a path or hallways?
• 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
• Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• 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.
• The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building

For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Harefield please ask your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Harefield

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Harefield conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Harefield conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggested that you talk with two or three firms including non Harefield conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be of use:

• How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation?
• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?

We expect to complete the disposal of our £ 450000 flat in Harefield next week. The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Harefield?

Harefield conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes nine out of ten times results in administration charges raised by landlords agents :

• Answering pre-contract enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Harefield
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Harefield leasehold property is £350. For Harefield conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to supply answers.

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

if there is a missing freeholder or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to determine the price payable.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Harefield residence is Flats 8, 11 and 15 Craigmore Court 46 Murray Road in December 2013. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 8 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,438 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenants of Flat 11 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,791 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 15 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,638 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . This case was in relation to 3 flats. The unexpired lease term was 71 years.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Harefield - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Most Harefield leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service bill for the upkeep of the block levied by the management company. Should you acquire the property you will have to meet this charge, usually periodically during the year. This may differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal areas. In all probability there will be a rentcharge to be met yearly, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say around £25-£75 but you should to check it because sometimes it could be prohibitively expensive. Make sure you enquire if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. For instance plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Harefield. If you love the apartmentin Harefield however your dog can’t live with you then you will be presented with a hard compromise.