Leasehold Conveyancing in Merton Park - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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While any conveyancing solicitor can theoretically handle your leasehold conveyancing in Merton Park, your mortgage provider may unwilling to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Top Five Questions relating to Merton Park leasehold conveyancing

I only have Seventy years remaining on my lease in Merton Park. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to find the freeholder. For most situations an enquiry agent should be useful to try and locate and to produce a report which can be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Merton Park.

I've found a house that appears to be perfect, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Merton Park. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Merton Park ?

The majority of houses in Merton Park are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Merton Park in which case you should be looking for a Merton Park conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Merton Park. Conveyancing and Bank of Scotland mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing solicitor in Merton Park who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

First contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to instruct a Merton Park conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Merton Park with the aim of saving time on the sale process?

  • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Merton Park can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Merton Park leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord approving such works. Where you dont have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer first.
  • Some Merton Park leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any 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 have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Organising a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Merton Park home move. Where a duplicate share is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable verify this by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

    • Completion in due on the disposal of our £150000 apartment in Merton Park next week. The landlords agents has quoted £336 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Merton Park?

    Merton Park conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not involves the purchaser’s solicitor sending questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer such questions the majority will be willing to do so. They are entitled invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that one has no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

    After months of correspondence we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Merton Park. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

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

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a Merton Park residence is 14 Nutwell Street in January 2014. The premium payable for the acquisition of a new lease of the subject premises was in the sum of £30,523 This case affected 1 flat. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 62.94 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Merton Park