I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Islington. Before diving in I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Islington - 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 would like to sublet my leasehold flat in Islington. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?

The lease dictates the relationship between the freeholder and you the leaseholder; in particular, it will say if subletting is not allowed, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. Most leases in Islington do not contain strict prohibition on subletting – such a provision would adversely affect the market value the flat. Instead, there is usually a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a copy of the tenancy agreement.

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

Expecting to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Islington. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they are sending me a report tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Defining your rights in respect of the communal areas in the block.For instance, does the lease contain a right of way over an accessway or staircase?
• Does the lease prevent you from subletting the property, or working from home
• Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
• The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
• 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
• What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Islington please ask your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Islington

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Islington with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Islington can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
• The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Islington charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. 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 reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Islington.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Islington state that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. If you dont have the consents in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor first.
• If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy process and delays many a Islington home move. If a new share is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this as soon as possible.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your solicitors. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is below 75 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £ 200000 garden flat in Islington in just under a week. The management company has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Islington?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Islington conveyancing will involve, queries regarding the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Addressing pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Islington
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Islington leasehold property is £350. For Islington 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 answers.

Following years of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Islington. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Islington conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Islington property is 5C Stoke Newington Road in April 2010. the Tribunal therefore concludes that the premium to be paid for the extended lease is £700.00 This case related to 1 flat. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 80.5 years.

Islington Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Where a Islington lease has less than 80 years it will impact the salability of the property. It is worth checking with your lender that they are content with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. For most Islingtonlease extensions you will be required to have been the owner of the residence for 24 months in order to be eligible to carry out a lease extension. Please inform me if there are any major works in the near future that will increase the service costs?