Quality lawyers for Leasehold Conveyancing in Longton

Get a Quote

Leasehold conveyancing in Longton is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Longton and next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Sample questions relating to Longton leasehold conveyancing

I am intending to let out my leasehold flat in Longton. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Notwithstanding that your last Longton conveyancing lawyer is not around you can review your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are silent, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must obtain consent from your landlord or some other party before subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet in the absence of prior permission. Such consent must not not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have just been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Longton. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Longton ?

Most houses in Longton are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Longton so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Longton conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

Back In 2002, I bought a leasehold flat in Longton. Conveyancing and Alliance & Leicester mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing solicitor in Longton who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

First contact HMLR to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Longton conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note 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.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Longton with the intention of speeding up the sale process?

  • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Longton can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
  • The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Longton charge for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Longton.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Longton state that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. Should you dont have the consents in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance.
  • A minority of Longton 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 bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.
  • If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and 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 are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over rather than unresolved.

    • Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £425000 flat in Longton in just under a week. The freeholder has quoted £300 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Longton?

    Longton conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not necessitates the purchaser’s solicitor sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address these enquiries the majority will be willing to assist. They are at liberty charge a reasonable charge for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it is above £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the charge is not strictly payable. In reality one has no option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    Longton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

      How long is the Lease? What is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the property? The majority of Longton leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the block levied by the freeholder. If you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this charge, normally quarterly during the year. This may differ from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. In all probability there will be a rentcharge to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to check as sometimes it could be surprisingly expensive.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Longton