I wish to sublet my leasehold flat in Shirley. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Even though your previous Shirley conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can review your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The rule is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to obtain consent via your landlord or some other party before subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without prior consent. The consent should not be unreasonably withheld. If your lease prohibits you from subletting the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

Planning to complete next month on a garden flat in Shirley. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• Defining your legal entitlements in relation to common areas in the building.E.G., 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 have a good understanding of the insurance provisions

The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.

Responsibility for repairing the window frames

What you can do if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?

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 Shirley please enquire of your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Shirley

I've found a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Shirley. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Shirley are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Shirley in which case you should be looking for a Shirley conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two flats in Shirley which have approximately fifty years left on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are plenty of short leases in Shirley. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As the lease shortens the marketability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is often a good idea to increase the term of the lease. Sometimes it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

We expect to complete the disposal of our £325000 maisonette in Shirley on Monday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £324 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Shirley?

Shirley conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes ordinarily involves administration charges levied by managing agents :

• Completing conveyancing due diligence questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Shirley
• 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 Shirley leasehold property is £350. For Shirley 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 required to provide the information.

Following years of dialogue we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Shirley. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

in cases where there is a missing freeholder or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the LVT to arrive at the price.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Shirley property is 29 Woodstock Road in April 2014. the Tribunal determined that the premiums to be paid into court in respect of the purchase of the freehold registered at HMLR under Title N0.SY3997 should be £7,217. This case was in relation to 4 flats. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 98 years.