I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have just been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Northumberland Heath. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Northumberland Heath ?

Most houses in Northumberland Heath are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Northumberland Heath in which case you should be shopping around for a Northumberland Heath conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the freeholder’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Northumberland Heath. Conveyancing and TSB mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Northumberland Heath who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Northumberland Heath conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Northumberland Heath from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Northumberland Heath can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
• Many freeholders or managing agents in Northumberland Heath levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Northumberland Heath.

If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Northumberland Heath leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such changes. Should you fail to have the consents to hand do not contact the landlord without contacting your lawyer in the first instance.

Some Northumberland Heath leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.

If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Organising a new share certificate is often a time consuming process and slows down many a Northumberland Heath conveyancing transaction. If a duplicate share is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £250000 maisonette in Northumberland Heath on Monday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £312 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Northumberland Heath?

Northumberland Heath conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes ordinarily involves administration charges raised by freeholders :

• Answering pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Northumberland Heath
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Northumberland Heath leasehold property is £350. For Northumberland Heath 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 obliged to provide the information.

I am the proprietor of a second floor flat in Northumberland Heath. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the premium due for a lease extension?

You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Northumberland Heath conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Northumberland Heath residence is Various @ Colombus Square in January 2012. the Tribunal calculated the premiums to be paid for new leases for each of the flats in Mariners Walk to be £3822 and the premium to be paid for the new lease of 2 Knights Court to be £4439. This case related to 13 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 76 years.

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Northumberland Heath what are the most common lease defects?

Leasehold conveyancing in Northumberland Heath is not unique. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the premises
• A duty to insure the building
• A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. National Westminster Bank, Leeds Building Society, and Platform Home Loans Ltd all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, obliging the buyer to withdraw.