I am hoping to exchange soon on a garden flat in Walworth. Conveyancing lawyers inform me 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 Walworth should include some of the following:

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years
• Setting out your rights in relation to common areas in the block.By way of example, does the lease provide for a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
• Whether the lease restricts you from renting out the property, or working from home
• An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has
• The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
• What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Walworth. Conveyancing and Halifax mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Walworth who previously acted has long since retired.What should I do?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Walworth conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Walworth conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Walworth conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you speak with several firms including non Walworth conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

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

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Walworth from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Walworth can be reduced where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers solicitors.
• The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Walworth levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Walworth.
• A minority of Walworth leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
• If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unsettled. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or settle 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 purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over as opposed to ongoing.
• You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to verify this via your conveyancers. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is below 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

We expect to complete the sale of our £ 325000 flat in Walworth on Friday in a week. The managing agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Walworth?

Walworth conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually requires the buyer’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address such questions the majority will be willing to assist. They may charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, otherwise the invoice is technically not due. Reality however dictates that you have little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to sell the property.

I have given up trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Walworth. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

in cases where there is a absentee landlord or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to make a decision on the amount due.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Walworth premises is 28 Valmar Road in June 2013. this was a case with an absentee freeholder. As a result the leaseholders applied to the Lambeth County Court for an order dispensing with the giving of a notice of claim. On 25 April 2013 District Judge Zimmels made a vesting order and directed that the matter should be transferred to this tribunal to determine the premium. The tribunal concluded on a fi
gure of £1,125 This case was in relation to 3 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 968 years.

Walworth Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

Where a Walworth lease has fewer than 80 years it will affect the value of the property. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are happy with the length of the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. For most Walworthlease extensions you will be required to have been the owner of the premises for 24 months before you are entitled to extend the lease. Plenty Walworth leasehold flats will have a service bill for maintenance of the block levied on behalf of the landlord. If you acquire the property you will have to pay this liability, normally quarterly during the year. This may be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common grounds. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge to be met yearly, normally this is not a exorbitant figure, say about £25-£75 but you should to check it because occasionally it can be surprisingly expensive.