I would like to sublet my leasehold apartment in Harold Wood. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for permission?

A small minority of properties in Harold Wood do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

I am hoping to complete next month on a basement flat in Harold Wood. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• The total extent of the premises. This will be the property itself but may incorporate a roof space or cellar if appropriate.
• Defining your legal entitlements in relation to the communal areas in the building.E.G., does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or staircase?
• Whether the lease restricts you from subletting the property, or having a home office for business
• You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Harold Wood from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Harold Wood can be reduced where you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Harold Wood state that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such changes. If you dont have the paperwork to hand do not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in the first instance.
• If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is a current dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of 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 clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming formality and delays many a Harold Wood home move. If a duplicate share certificate is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable verify this by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 75 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

All being well we will complete the disposal of our £ 425000 maisonette in Harold Wood next week. The managing agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Harold Wood?

Harold Wood conveyancing on leasehold apartments often involves the purchaser’s solicitor sending questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries most will be content to assist. They are at liberty levy a reasonable administration fee for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it exceeds £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality one has no option but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to sell the property.

We have reached the end of our tether in trying to purchase the freehold in Harold Wood. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to decide the premium.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Harold Wood 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 affected 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 57.5 years.

What are the common deficiencies that you encounter in leases for Harold Wood properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Harold Wood is not unique. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the property
• A duty to insure the building
• Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

You may have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Nationwide Building Society, The Mortgage Works, and Godiva Mortgages Ltd all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

I purchased a 1 bedroom flat in Harold Wood, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2003. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Harold Wood with an extended lease are worth £196,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2077

You have 51 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £33,300 and £38,400 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.