Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Mortlake:

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Sample questions relating to Mortlake leasehold conveyancing

Expecting to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Mortlake. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Mortlake should include some of the following:

  • You should receive a copy of the lease
  • The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years
  • The total extent of the premises. This will be the apartment itself but may incorporate a roof space or cellar if appropriate.
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?
  • 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 For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Mortlake please enquire of your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Mortlake

    • Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Mortlake. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

    Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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 offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Mortlake conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

    If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Mortlake conveyancing practice) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with several firms including non Mortlake conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

    • How familiar is the practice with lease extension legislation?
  • What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Mortlake from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Mortlake can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers representatives.
    • If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Mortlake state that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. If you dont have the approvals in place you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer first.
  • If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where a dispute is unresolved. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. 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 details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a duplicate share certificate is often a lengthy formality and slows down many a Mortlake conveyancing deal. Where a duplicate share is necessary, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to verify this via your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is less than 75 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without any joy. Can a leaseholder make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Mortlake conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?

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

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Mortlake property 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 affected 3 flats. The unexpired term was 66.25 years.

    What makes a Mortlake lease problematic?

    Leasehold conveyancing in Mortlake is not unique. Most leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain provisions are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

    • Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the building
    • Insurance obligations
    • Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
    • Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

    A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Nationwide Building Society, Coventry Building Society, and Clydesdale all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to provide security, obliging the purchaser to pull out.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Mortlake