Leasehold Conveyancing in Queen's Park - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Queen's Park, you will need to appoint a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Halifax, Yorkshire Building Society or NatWest be sure to choose a lawyer on their approved list. Feel free to use our search tool

Questions and Answers: Queen's Park leasehold conveyancing

I have just started marketing my 2 bed flat in Queen's Park.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just received a yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

It best that you discharge the invoice 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Queen's Park. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Queen's Park ?

The majority of houses in Queen's Park are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Queen's Park in which case you should be shopping around for a Queen's Park conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your lawyer should advise you fully on all the issues.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Queen's Park conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Queen's Park conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non Queen's Park conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

  • How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation?
  • What are the charges for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Queen's Park with the aim of saving time on the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Queen's Park can be avoided if you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • Some Queen's Park leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly 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 buyers or their lawyers.
  • If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. 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 details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unsettled.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Organising a replacement share certificate can be a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Queen's Park conveyancing deal. If a duplicate share is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but you should double-check by asking your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the lease term is under 75 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

    • Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £500000 garden flat in Queen's Park next Thursday . The freeholder has quoted £300 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 Queen's Park?

    Queen's Park conveyancing on leasehold apartments often requires the purchaser’s lawyer sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to such questions the majority will be willing to assist. They may levy a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some transactions it is above £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the invoice is technically not due. In reality you have no choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to complete the sale of your home.

    I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal decide on such matters? Can you recommend a Queen's Park conveyancing firm to assist?

    Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a Queen's Park conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Queen's Park property is 4 & 4A Charteris Road in June 2009. the Tribunal held that the price to be paid for the enfranchisement of 4/4a Charteris Road to be £15,510 for at 4and £15,694 for at 4a This case related to 2 flats. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 70.02 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Queen's Park