I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Longford. Before I get started I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Longford - 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.

Back In 2004, I bought a leasehold house in Longford. Conveyancing and Skipton Building Society mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Longford who previously acted has now retired.Any advice?

First contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Longford conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am looking at a two maisonettes in Longford both have approximately forty five years left on the lease term. Do I need to be concerned?

A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As the lease gets shorter the marketability of the lease deteriorate and results in it becoming more expensive to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is advisable to extend the lease term. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena

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

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Longford can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers conveyancers.
• The majority landlords or managing agents in Longford charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Longford.

If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Longford state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. Should you fail to have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.

Some Longford leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.

If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you have the original share document. Organising a new share certificate can be a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Longford home move. Where a reissued share certificate is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

We expect to complete the disposal of our £375000 maisonette in Longford next Wednesday . The managing agents has quoted £336 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Longford?

Longford conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally involves fees being invoiced by freeholders :

• Answering pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Longford
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Longford leasehold premises is £350. For Longford 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 obliged to provide the information.

We have reached the end of our tether in trying to purchase the freehold in Longford. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Where there is a missing landlord or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the LVT to assess the sum to be paid.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Longford property is 164 Nestles Avenue in October 2013. The tribunal agreed with the proposed price of £20,158 for the freehold and determined that that sum is the amount to be paid into court This case affected 2 flats. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 69 years.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Longford