I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Havering-atte-Bower. Before diving in I would like to find out the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Havering-atte-Bower - 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.

I work for a busy estate agency in Havering-atte-Bower where we have witnessed a number of flat sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local Havering-atte-Bower conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Havering-atte-Bower conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Havering-atte-Bower conveyancing firm) it is essential 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 Havering-atte-Bower conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

• Can they put you in touch with client in Havering-atte-Bower who can give a testimonial?

What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing?

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Havering-atte-Bower from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Havering-atte-Bower can be reduced where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• Many freeholders or Management Companies in Havering-atte-Bower levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Havering-atte-Bower.

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 Havering-atte-Bower state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Where you dont have the approvals to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer before hand.

Some Havering-atte-Bower 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 put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the annual 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 buyers or their solicitors.

If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Arranging a new share certificate can be a lengthy process and frustrates many a Havering-atte-Bower conveyancing transaction. Where a reissued share is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £450000 apartment in Havering-atte-Bower on Friday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £300 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Havering-atte-Bower?

Havering-atte-Bower conveyancing on leasehold flats nine out of ten times results in fees being levied by managing agents :

• Answering pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Havering-atte-Bower
• 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 conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Havering-atte-Bower leasehold premises is £350. For Havering-atte-Bower 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 required to supply the information.

I have given up trying to purchase the freehold in Havering-atte-Bower. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Havering-atte-Bower conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Havering-atte-Bower 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 related to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 57.5 years.