My husband and I may need to rent out our Long Eaton garden flat temporarily due to a new job. We instructed a Long Eaton conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have closed and we did not think at the time seek any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your last Long Eaton conveyancing solicitor is no longer available you can review your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must seek consent via your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without first obtaining consent. The consent must not not be unreasonably turned down. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord for their consent.

I am hoping to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Long Eaton. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Setting out your rights in respect of the communal areas in the block.For instance, does the lease contain a right of way over a path or staircase?
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?
• 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
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What you can do if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease?

I own a leasehold flat in Long Eaton. Conveyancing and Clydesdale mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing practitioner in Long Eaton who acted for me is not around.What should I do?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Long Eaton conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Long Eaton. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, 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 appointing a Long Eaton conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Long Eaton conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you speak with several firms including non Long Eaton conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

• How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?
• If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?

Long Eaton Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before buying

Who is in charge of the building? You will want to discover as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they can either make your living at the property much simpler or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical issues such as the cleanliness of the communal areas. Enquire of other tenants what they think of them. On a final note, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and specifically how they are spending that money.