Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in North Kensington:

Get a Quote

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

North Kensington leasehold conveyancing: Q and A’s

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in North Kensington. Before I set the wheels in motion I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in North Kensington - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in North Kensington. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • Setting out your rights in respect of the communal areas in the building.By way of example, does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or staircase?
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
  • 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
  • I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
  • 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
  • What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in North Kensington please enquire of your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in North Kensington

    • Back In 2000, I bought a leasehold house in North Kensington. Conveyancing and Barnsley Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing solicitor in North Kensington who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

    The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to instruct a North Kensington conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

    I've recently bought a leasehold property in North Kensington. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

    In a situation 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. Strange as it may seem, 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).

    I inherited a first floor flat in North Kensington. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for the purchase of the freehold?

    Where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to judgment on the sum to be paid.

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a North Kensington residence is 93 Oakwood Court in June 2010. the LVT determined that the premium to be paid for the new lease was £492,083, This case related to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 37.79 years.

    Are there frequently found deficiencies that you encounter in leases for North Kensington properties?

    Leasehold conveyancing in North Kensington is not unique. Most leases are unique and drafting errors can result in certain provisions are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the building
    • Insurance obligations
    • A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
    • Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

    You will have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. HSBC Bank, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Alliance & Leicester all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, obliging the buyer to pull out.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in North Kensington