Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Harold Hill:

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

Common questions relating to Harold Hill leasehold conveyancing

I am hoping to exchange soon on a garden flat in Harold Hill. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and aware of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years
  • Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?
  • 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 sinking fund?
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames
  • What options are open to you if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Harold Hill please ask your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Harold Hill

    • I today plan to offer on a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Harold Hill. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Harold Hill ?

    Most houses in Harold Hill are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Harold Hill in which case you should be shopping around for a Harold Hill conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer should report to you on the legal implications.

    I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of flats in Harold Hill both have in the region of forty five years unexpired on the lease term. should I be concerned?

    There are plenty of short leases in Harold Hill. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As the lease gets shorter the marketability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more expensive to extend the lease. This is why it is generally wise to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We recommend you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field

    Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Harold Hill conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Harold Hill conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Harold Hill conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

    • What volume of lease extensions have they carried out in Harold Hill in the last 12 months?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Harold Hill who can give a testimonial?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Harold Hill with the aim of saving time on the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Harold Hill can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
    • Many landlords or Management Companies in Harold Hill charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Harold Hill.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Harold Hill leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. Should you dont have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor in the first instance.
  • A minority of Harold Hill leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where a dispute is unresolved. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. 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 better to reveal the dispute as historic rather than unresolved.

    • I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without success. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal decide on such issues? Can you recommend a Harold Hill conveyancing firm to help?

    Where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to calculate the amount due.

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a Harold Hill flat 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 remaining number of years on the lease was 57.5 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Harold Hill