I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Ickenham. Before diving in I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Ickenham - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 72 years unexpired on my lease in Ickenham. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is missing. What should I do?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to find the landlord. In some cases a specialist would be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Ickenham.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Ickenham. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Ickenham should include some of the following:

• Does the lease prevent you from renting out the flat, or having a home office for business
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
• Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I am attracted to a couple of maisonettes in Ickenham both have about fifty years unexpired on the lease term. Do I need to be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Ickenham. The lease is a right to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease shortens the value of the lease decreases and it becomes more costly to extend the lease. This is why it is often a good idea to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £ 450000 apartment in Ickenham in just under a week. The managing agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Ickenham?

Ickenham conveyancing on leasehold flats normally involves the buyer’s conveyancer sending questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address these enquiries the majority will be willing to do so. They are at liberty levy a reasonable charge for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is above £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the charge is technically not due. In reality one has no option but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can I make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Ickenham conveyancing firm to assist?

Where there is a missing 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 make a decision on the amount due.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Ickenham property is Flat 72 Queens Walk in January 2013. The Tribunals calculated the premium payable to be £22,090. This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 53.26 years.

Ickenham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Please inform me if there are any major works in the planning that could add a premium to the maintenance fees? What is the name of the managing agents?