Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill. Before I get started I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Harrow on the Hill - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

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

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Harrow on the Hill. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they are sending me a report on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Setting out your rights in relation to the communal areas in the building.E.G., does the lease include a right of way over a path or hallways?
• Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring?
• Are pets allowed 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
• 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 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
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames

For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Harrow on the Hill please enquire of your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill

I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed flat in Harrow on the Hill.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge 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 unless 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill with the aim of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers conveyancers.
• The majority landlords or managing agents in Harrow on the Hill charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Harrow on the Hill state that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. If you fail to have the consents in place you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor first.
• If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unsettled. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge 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 particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your solicitors. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £ 300000 flat in Harrow on the Hill in six days. The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Harrow on the Hill?

Harrow on the Hill conveyancing on leasehold flats usually necessitates administration charges invoiced by freeholders :

• Answering pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Harrow on the Hill
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Harrow on the Hill leasehold premises is £350. For Harrow on the 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.

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

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Harrow on the Hill conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Harrow on the Hill flat is flat 93b Welldon Crescent in May 2009. The Tribunals valuation for a 90-year lease extension of this fat was £13,171 This case related to 1 flat. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 75.25 years.

Harrow on the Hill Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

The best form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the leaseholders benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often employed where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent employed by the leaseholders.