Leasehold Conveyancing in South Ruislip - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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Leasehold conveyancing in South Ruislip is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in South Ruislip and across next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

South Ruislip leasehold conveyancing Example Support Desk Enquiries

I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in South Ruislip.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay 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 until 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've recently bought a leasehold property in South Ruislip. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part 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).

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a South Ruislip conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a South Ruislip conveyancing firm) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you make enquires with several firms including non South Ruislip conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

  • What volume of lease extensions has the firm carried out in South Ruislip in the last year?
  • What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in South Ruislip from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in South Ruislip can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers conveyancers.
    • The majority freeholders or managing agents in South Ruislip levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in South Ruislip.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? South Ruislip leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such alterations. If you dont have the consents in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share certificate. Arranging a re-issued share certificate is often a time consuming process and frustrates many a South Ruislip conveyancing transaction. If a reissued share is needed, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this sooner rather than later.
  • You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should double-check via your conveyancers. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

    • I am the proprietor of a first floor flat in South Ruislip. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for the purchase of the freehold?

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

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a South Ruislip residence is Flat 72 Queens Walk in January 2013. The Tribunals calculated the premium payable to be £22,090. This case related to 1 flat. The the number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 53.26 years.

    Are there common defects that you encounter in leases for South Ruislip properties?

    There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in South Ruislip. All leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are erroneous. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the premises
    • A duty to insure the building
    • Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
    • Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

    You will have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. HSBC Bank, Leeds Building Society, and Alliance & Leicester all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in South Ruislip