You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

I am hoping to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Stanmore. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The total extent of the demise. This will be the property itself but could also incorporate a roof space or basement if applicable.
• Does the lease prevent you from subletting the property, or working from home
• Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What you can do if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease?

For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Stanmore please enquire of your lawyer in advance of your conveyancing in Stanmore

I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed apartment in Stanmore.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

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

I am employed by a busy estate agent office in Stanmore where we see a few leasehold sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Stanmore conveyancing solicitors. Can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Stanmore conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Stanmore conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with several firms including non Stanmore conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be useful:

• How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £ 325000 garden flat in Stanmore in just under a week. The managing agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Stanmore?

Stanmore conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually necessitates fees being levied by managing agents :

• Answering pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Stanmore
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• 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 Stanmore leasehold property is £350. For Stanmore 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 the information.

I have given up negotiating a lease extension in Stanmore. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a Stanmore conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Stanmore residence is 27B Hillside in February 2010. the resulting premium, all other aspects of the valuation having been agreed between the parties was set at £8,250 This case related to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 70.25 years.

Stanmore Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before buying