Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Tottenham

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Tottenham, you will need to appoint a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Halifax, Birmingham Midshires or NatWest make sure you choose a lawyer on their panel. Feel free to use our search tool

Tottenham leasehold conveyancing Example Support Desk Enquiries

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Tottenham. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Tottenham ?

Most houses in Tottenham are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Tottenham in which case you should be shopping around for a Tottenham conveyancing practitioner and check that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the landlord’spermission to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Tottenham. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

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. A critical element 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).

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Tottenham conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Tottenham conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Tottenham conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

  • Can they put you in touch with client in Tottenham who can give a testimonial?
  • What are the charges for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Tottenham with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Tottenham can be reduced if you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
    • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s consent? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Tottenham leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such works. Should you fail to have the approvals in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor first.
  • Some Tottenham leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge 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 are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic rather than ongoing.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share certificate. Obtaining a re-issued share certificate can be a time consuming formality and slows down many a Tottenham home move. Where a new share is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

    • Following months of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Tottenham. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

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

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Tottenham premises is 30 Strode Road in June 2013. Following a vesting order by Edmonton County Court on 20th February 2013 the Tribunal arrived at a valuation for enfranchisement of £10,256 for the premises (£4,074 for the Ground Floor Flat and £6182 for the First Floor Flat) and £100 for the appurtenant land. This case affected 2 flats. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 83.33 and 77.3.

    What are the common deficiencies that you encounter in leases for Tottenham properties?

    There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Tottenham. All leases are unique and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain clauses are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the property
    • A duty to insure the building
    • 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 issues 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 Alliance & Leicester all have very detailed 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 defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Tottenham