Due to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Pinner. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they report fully within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The total extent of the demise. This will be the flat itself but might include a roof space or cellar if applicable.

Setting out your legal entitlements in respect of the communal areas in the building.By way of example, does the lease include a right of way over an accessway or hallways?

Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?

You should be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease

Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change

You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions

Changes to the flat (alterations and additions) For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Pinner please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Pinner

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my 2 bed apartment in Pinner.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just received a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you clear the service charge 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 unless 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 own a leasehold flat in Pinner. Conveyancing and Clydesdale mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing practitioner in Pinner who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

First contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. You do not need to incur the fees of a Pinner conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Pinner. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

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. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure 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).

Completion in due on our sale of a £500000 maisonette in Pinner next week. The managing agents has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Pinner?

Pinner conveyancing on leasehold apartments ordinarily results in fees being levied by management companies :

• Completing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Pinner
• 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 Pinner leasehold premises is £350. For Pinner 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 answers.

Having spent years of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Pinner. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Pinner conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Pinner premises 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 affected 3 flats. The the number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 71 years.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Pinner