Leasehold Conveyancing in Temple Fortune - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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Any conveyancing solicitor can theoretically deal with your leasehold conveyancing in Temple Fortune, your mortgage provider may not be willing to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Common questions relating to Temple Fortune leasehold conveyancing

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Temple Fortune. Before diving in I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is registered - and almost all are in Temple Fortune - 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 Seventy years remaining on my flat in Temple Fortune. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What should I do?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. For most situations a specialist may be useful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Temple Fortune.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Temple Fortune.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a yearly service charge invoice – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is 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 managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless 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 am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Temple Fortune. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Temple Fortune ?

The majority of houses in Temple Fortune 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. We note that you are buying in Temple Fortune so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Temple Fortune conveyancing practitioner 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. As a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’spermission 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 lawyer should report to you on the legal implications.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Temple Fortune with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Temple Fortune can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
  • The majority freeholders or managing agents in Temple Fortune charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Temple Fortune.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Temple Fortune leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Should you fail to have the approvals in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer before hand.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as over rather than unsettled.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Organising a re-issued share certificate can be a lengthy process and slows down many a Temple Fortune home move. If a new share certificate is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

    • I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord to extend my lease without success. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal decide on such issues? Can you recommend a Temple Fortune conveyancing firm to represent me?

    if there is a missing freeholder or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to make a decision on the price payable.

    An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Temple Fortune residence is Flat 2 2 Netherfield Road in April 2010. The Tribunale held that premium payable for a 90 year extension to the existing Lease should be £7,705. This case was in relation to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 76 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Temple Fortune