Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Muswell Hill

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Leasehold conveyancing in Muswell Hill is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Muswell Hill and across next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Top Five Questions relating to Muswell Hill leasehold conveyancing

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Muswell Hill.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I am employed by a busy estate agent office in Muswell Hill where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local Muswell Hill conveyancing solicitors. Please can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 buyer.

What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Muswell Hill conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Muswell Hill conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Muswell Hill 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:

  • If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
  • What are the charges for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Muswell Hill with the purpose of expediting the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Muswell Hill can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
    • Many freeholders or managing agents in Muswell Hill levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Muswell Hill.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Muswell Hill leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such works. If you fail to have the paperwork to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your conveyancer before hand.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming process and slows down many a Muswell Hill home move. Where a duplicate share certificate is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) 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 wise to double-check via your solicitors. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is less than 80 years. It is therefore important 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.

    • We expect to complete the sale of our £300000 maisonette in Muswell Hill on Tuesday in a week. The management company has quoted £372 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Muswell Hill?

    Muswell Hill conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally necessitates the buyer’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions the majority will be content to assist. They are entitled invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it is above £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have no option but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    Following months of dialogue we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Muswell Hill. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

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

    An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Muswell Hill premises is Flat B 10 Grove Avenue in October 2013. Following a vesting order Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court 3rd July 2013 The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the lease extension was £36,215.00 This case affected 1 flat. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 65.21 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Muswell Hill