I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Little Ilford. Before diving in I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Little Ilford - 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 today plan to offer on a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Little Ilford. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Little Ilford ?

Most houses in Little Ilford are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Little Ilford so you should seriously consider looking for a Little Ilford conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your solicitor will advise you fully on all the issues.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Little Ilford. Conveyancing and Birmingham Midshires mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Little Ilford who previously acted has long since retired.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Little Ilford conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am employed by a busy estate agent office in Little Ilford where we have experienced a number of flat sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Little Ilford conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done 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 advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Little Ilford conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Little Ilford conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Little Ilford conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be useful:

• How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?
• How many lease extensions have they carried out in Little Ilford in the last 12 months?

Having spent months of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Little Ilford. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Little Ilford conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Little Ilford flat is 9 Granville Road in June 2014. The tribunal determines the enfranchisement price payable by the applicants for the freehold was £32,548 This case was in relation to 5 flats. The unexpired term was 73.8 years.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Little Ilford - Examples of Queries before buying

How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? It is important to be aware whether redecorating or some other significant cost is coming up to be shared amongst the tenants and may well dramatically increase the the maintenance costs or require a specific payment.