Leasehold Conveyancing in Isle of Dogs - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Isle of Dogs, you will need to appoint a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Santander, RBS or Nationwide be sure to find a lawyer on their approved list. Feel free to use our search tool

Questions and Answers: Isle of Dogs leasehold conveyancing

I only have Seventy years remaining on my lease in Isle of Dogs. I now want to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. For most situations a specialist should be useful to conduct investigations and prepare a report to be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Isle of Dogs.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Isle of Dogs.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just had a half-yearly service charge invoice – what should I do?

It best that you pay 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 until 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.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two flats in Isle of Dogs both have approximately forty five years unexpired on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Isle of Dogs. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease shortens the value of the lease deteriorate and it becomes more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We advise that you seek professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Isle of Dogs from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Isle of Dogs can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
  • The majority landlords or Management Companies in Isle of Dogs levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought 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 common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Isle of Dogs.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Isle of Dogs leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. Should you fail to have the paperwork to hand do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your conveyancer before hand.
  • Some Isle of Dogs leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming formality and delays many a Isle of Dogs home move. If a new share certificate is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

    • I am the proprietor of a first floor flat in Isle of Dogs. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount payable for a lease extension?

    in cases where there is a absentee landlord or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to arrive at the price.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Isle of Dogs flat is 12, 14 & 16 Hull Close in May 2010. the Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the acquisition of the freehold to the subject premises was the sum of £18,300 This case was in relation to 3 flats. The the number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 101.61 years.

    Are there common defects that you see in leases for Isle of Dogs properties?

    There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Isle of Dogs. Most leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain sections are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

    • Repairing obligations 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

    A defective lease will likely cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Birmingham Midshires, Coventry Building Society, and Bank of Ireland all have express requirements 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, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Isle of Dogs