Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Northwood:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Northwood, you will need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Lloyds, Birmingham Midshires or Nationwide make sure you find a lawyer on their approved list. Feel free to use our search tool

Recently asked questions relating to Northwood leasehold conveyancing

I only have 62 years left on my flat in Northwood. I now want to extend my lease but my freeholder is missing. What should I do?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to track down the lessor. For most situations an enquiry agent may be useful to conduct investigations and prepare a report to be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Northwood.

Looking forward to complete next month on a studio apartment in Northwood. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they report fully next week. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • You should receive a copy of the lease
  • Defining your legal entitlements in respect of the communal areas in the building.E.G., does the lease permit a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
  • You need to be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
  • You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
  • Repair and maintenance of the flat
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises 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 For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Northwood please ask your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Northwood

    • I today plan to offer on a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Northwood. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Northwood ?

    Most houses in Northwood 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 Northwood in which case you should be shopping around for a Northwood conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

    I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two apartments in Northwood both have about forty five years left on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

    A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As the lease shortens the marketability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more expensive to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you seek professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

    Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Northwood from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Northwood can be reduced where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers representatives.
    • The majority landlords or managing agents in Northwood levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack 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 usual reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Northwood.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Northwood leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Should you fail to have the approvals in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in the first instance.
  • 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 flat where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to 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 prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming process and slows down many a Northwood home move. Where a reissued share is required, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this as soon as possible.

    • I am the proprietor of a garden flat in Northwood. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the sum due for the purchase of the freehold?

    in cases where there is a missing landlord or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to decide the price payable.

    An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Northwood flat is Flats 8, 11 and 15 Craigmore Court 46 Murray Road in December 2013. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 8 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,438 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenants of Flat 11 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,791 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 15 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,638 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . This case was in relation to 3 flats. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 71 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Northwood