Leasehold Conveyancing in Stoke Newington - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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Sample questions relating to Stoke Newington leasehold conveyancing

My wife and I may need to sub-let our Stoke Newington garden flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We used a Stoke Newington conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to get any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your previous Stoke Newington conveyancing solicitor is no longer available you can review your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the property. The accepted inference is that if the lease is silent, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must seek consent via your landlord or other appropriate person in advance of subletting. This means that you cannot sublet without first obtaining permission. Such consent should not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If your lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

Planning to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Stoke Newington. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully next week. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • You should be sent a copy of the lease
  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, freeholder
  • Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring?
  • Does the lease prevent you from renting out the property, or having a home office for business
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames
  • What options are open to you 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 Stoke Newington please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Stoke Newington

    • I am looking at a two maisonettes in Stoke Newington which have approximately forty five years left on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

    A lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As the lease shortens the saleability of the lease decreases and it becomes more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We recommend you seek professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena

    I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Stoke Newington. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

    Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, 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 be sure 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).

    Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Stoke Newington conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Stoke Newington conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you talk with two or three firms including non Stoke Newington conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be of use:

    • If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Stoke Newington who can give a testimonial?

    • Notwithstanding our best endeavours, we have been unsuccessful in trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Stoke Newington. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

    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 determine the premium.

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a Stoke Newington flat is Lower Flat 16A Beatty Road in September 2012. The premium payable was £13,577. The terms of the lease has been agreed between the Applicants and the First Respondent and the Tribunal did not seek to disturb that agreement. This case was in relation to 1 flat.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Stoke Newington