I would like to let out my leasehold apartment in Mile End. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

Notwithstanding that your last Mile End conveyancing lawyer is not around you can check your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. There may be a precondition that you are obliged to seek consent from your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior consent. Such consent should not be unreasonably withheld. If the lease prohibits you from subletting the property you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

I’m about to sell my ground floor flat in Mile End.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

It best that you pay the invoice as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Mile End. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

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. A critical element 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).

What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a Mile End conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Mile End conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Mile End conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

• Can they put you in touch with client in Mile End who can give a testimonial?
• What are the costs for lease extension work?

All being well we will complete our sale of a £ 225000 garden flat in Mile End next week. The management company has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Mile End?

Mile End conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes nine out of ten times involves fees being raised by managing agents :

• Addressing pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Mile End
• 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 Mile End leasehold property is £350. For Mile End 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 the information.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such issues? Can you recommend a Mile End conveyancing firm to represent me?

You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Mile End conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Mile End property is 26 Rhondda Grove in June 2009. The net price payable by the leaseholders as determined by the Tribunal was £3,015.13. This comprised £11,300 premium for the reversion less £8,284.87 costs as ordered by the County Court.

Mile End Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

It would be prudent to investigate if the the lease contains any onerous restrictions in the lease. For instance some leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Mile End. If you love the flatin Mile End yet your dog is not allowed to move with you then you will be presented with a difficult choice. This information is useful as a) areas could cause problems for the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate if repairs are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will want to have all the details