Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Sydenham Hill

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Sydenham Hill, you will need to chose a conveyancing solicitor with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Clydesdale , RBS or Bradford & Bingley make sure you choose a lawyer on their approved list. Find a Sydenham Hill conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Common questions relating to Sydenham Hill leasehold conveyancing

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Sydenham Hill. Before diving in I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and almost all are in Sydenham Hill - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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.

I only have Sixty One years unexpired on my flat in Sydenham Hill. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What are my options?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the freeholder. In some cases an enquiry agent should be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Sydenham Hill.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement apartment in Sydenham Hill.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a yearly service charge invoice – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the invoice 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 managing agents 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.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Sydenham Hill conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Sydenham Hill conveyancing firm) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Sydenham Hill conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be helpful:

  • If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
  • What are the charges for lease extension work?

    • Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Sydenham Hill with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Sydenham Hill can be reduced if you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
    • Many freeholders or managing agents in Sydenham Hill charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Sydenham Hill.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s consent? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Sydenham Hill leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. Where you fail to have the approvals in place you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer in the first instance.
  • If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a flat where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over rather than unsettled.
  • You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage 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 have had difficulty in trying to purchase the freehold in Sydenham Hill. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

    if there is a missing freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the LVT to arrive at the premium.

    An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Sydenham Hill property is Flat 1 4 Border Crescent in March 2012. the Tribunal decided that the sum payable by the Applicants to the Respondent in respect of the new lease for the subject property should be £11,616.00 (ElevenThousand and Six Hundred and Sixteen Pounds) This case was in relation to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 72.04 years.