Quality lawyers for Leasehold Conveyancing in Kingston Vale

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Kingston Vale, you will need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Santander, RBS or Bradford & Bingley be sure to choose a lawyer on their panel. Feel free to use our search tool

Kingston Vale leasehold conveyancing Example Support Desk Enquiries

Planning to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Kingston Vale. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they report fully on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • The total extent of the premises. This will be the property itself but could also incorporate a loft or basement if applicable.
  • Defining your legal entitlements in respect of common areas in the block.By way of example, does the lease grant a right of way over a path or hallways?
  • You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • 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
  • What you can do if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Kingston Vale please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Kingston Vale

    • I today plan to offer on a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Kingston Vale. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

    The majority of houses in Kingston Vale are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Kingston Vale in which case you should be looking for a Kingston Vale conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the freeholder’sconsent to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

    I am attracted to a two flats in Kingston Vale which have about fifty years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

    There are plenty of short leases in Kingston Vale. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As the lease gets shorter the value of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field

    Last month I purchased a leasehold property in Kingston Vale. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

    In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

    If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

    Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Kingston Vale from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Kingston Vale can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
    • Many freeholders or managing agents in Kingston Vale 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 as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Kingston Vale.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Kingston Vale state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such works. If you dont have the approvals in place you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in the first instance.
  • If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unsettled. You will have to accept that you will have to 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 ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable double-check by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • I inherited a ground floor flat in Kingston Vale. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the premium payable for the purchase of the freehold?

    You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Kingston Vale conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Kingston Vale residence is 19 St. Margarets Crescent in August 2010. the tribunal was of the view that the premium to be paid by the leaseholder for the freehold reversion was £51,983.00 This case was in relation to 3 flats. The unexpired term was 66.25 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Kingston Vale