Expecting to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Harold Hill. Conveyancing solicitors 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?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Harold Hill 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 not letting the lease term falling below eighty years

Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, freeholder

The physical extent of the property. This will be the flat itself but could also incorporate a loft or cellar if appropriate.

Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?

Repair and maintenance of the flat

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

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 Harold Hill please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Harold Hill

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Harold Hill conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Harold Hill conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with two or three firms including non Harold Hill conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be of use:

• Can they put you in touch with client in Harold Hill who can give a testimonial?

What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Harold Hill with the intention of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Harold Hill can be avoided if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers solicitors.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Harold Hill state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. If you dont have the paperwork in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer before hand.

Some Harold Hill leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the yearly 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 there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where a dispute is ongoing. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve 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 are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.

If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming formality and slows down many a Harold Hill home move. Where a new share certificate is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £200000 garden flat in Harold Hill next week. The landlords agents has quoted £348 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Harold Hill?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Harold Hill conveyancing will involve, queries regarding the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Addressing pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Harold Hill
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Harold Hill leasehold property is £350. For Harold Hill 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 provide answers.

After months of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Harold Hill. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

in cases where there is a missing landlord or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, 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 Harold Hill residence is 37 Lodge Court High Street in November 2013. the decision of the LVT was that the premium to be paid for the new lease was £25,559 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The the number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 57.5 years.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Harold Hill what are the most frequent lease defects?

Leasehold conveyancing in Harold Hill is not unique. Most leases is drafted differently and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain clauses are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the property
• Insurance obligations
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Birmingham Midshires, Skipton Building Society, and Bank of Ireland all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

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Lease Extensions in Harold Hill