Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in St Pancras. Before I get started I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in St Pancras - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title.For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Helen (my wife) and I may need to rent out our St Pancras 1st floor flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We used a St Pancras conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

A small minority of properties in St Pancras do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

I've found a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a leasehold house in St Pancras. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in St Pancras ?

Most houses in St Pancras are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in St Pancras so you should seriously consider shopping around for a St Pancras conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the freeholder’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

Back In 2006, I bought a leasehold house in St Pancras. Conveyancing and Barclays mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in St Pancras who previously acted has now retired.What should I do?

First contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a St Pancras conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am the leaseholder of a first floor flat in St Pancras. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the premium due for the purchase of the freehold?

Most definitely. We can put you in touch with a St Pancras conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a St Pancras residence is Flat 89 Trinity Court Grays Inn Road in February 2013. the Tribunal found that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 to the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 should be £36,229. This case was in relation to 1 flat. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 66.8 years.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in St Pancras what are the most common lease problems?

Leasehold conveyancing in St Pancras is not unique. Most leases are unique and drafting errors can result in certain sections are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the premises
• Insurance obligations
• 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

A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. National Westminster Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and TSB all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

Leasehold Conveyancing in St Pancras - A selection of Questions you should ask before buying

How much is the ground rent and service charge? The majority of St Pancras leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the building levied on behalf of the landlord. If you buy the apartment you will have to pay this liability, usually periodically during the year. This could be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common grounds. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge to be met yearly, ordinarily this is not a exorbitant figure, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to enquire it because occasionally it can be prohibitively expensive. It would be sensible to discover as much as you can concerning the company managing the block as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters like the upkeep of the communal areas. You should not be afraid to ask other tenants what they think of them. In conclusion, be sure you know the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the appropriate party and specifically how they are spending that money.