Experts for Leasehold Conveyancing in Nine Elms

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Whether you are buying or selling leasehold flat in Nine Elms, our panel of leasehold conveyancing experts will help you move with as little stress as possible. Find a Nine Elms conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Sample questions relating to Nine Elms leasehold conveyancing

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Nine Elms. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Nine Elms - 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.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 62 years remaining on my flat in Nine Elms. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the lessor. On the whole an enquiry agent should be useful to try and locate and to produce an expert document to be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Nine Elms.

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in Nine Elms. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report next week. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Nine Elms should include some of the following:

  • Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property?
  • Does the lease prevent you from renting out the property, or working from home
  • You must be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
  • The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
  • What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Nine Elms please enquire of your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Nine Elms

    • I am attracted to a two flats in Nine Elms which have about 50 years unexpired on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

    There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Nine Elms is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the salability of the premises. For most purchasers and lenders, leases with under 75 years become less and less attractive. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Nine Elms conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

    Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Nine Elms with the intention of saving time on the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Nine Elms can be reduced if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • Many freeholders or managing agents in Nine Elms levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Nine Elms.
  • 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 Nine Elms state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. Where you dont have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer first.
  • If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. 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 particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

    • I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without success. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal decide on such matters? Can you recommend a Nine Elms conveyancing firm to help?

    Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Nine Elms conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Nine Elms residence is 150A Albert Palace Mansions Lurline Gardens in July 2013. The Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the new lease of the subject property was £42,069 This case affected 1 flat. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 57.06 years.