I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Lutterworth. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is registered - and almost all are in Lutterworth - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

My husband and I may need to rent out our Lutterworth 1st floor flat temporarily due to a new job. We used a Lutterworth conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time get any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Your lease governs relations between the freeholder and you the flat owner; specifically, it will indicate if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The rule is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. Most leases in Lutterworth do not contain subletting altogether – such a provision would adversely affect the market value the flat. Instead, there is usually a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a duplicate of the tenancy agreement.

Looking forward to complete next month on a ground floor flat in Lutterworth. Conveyancing solicitors inform me 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 Lutterworth should include some of the following:

• The physical extent of the demise. This will be the property itself but may incorporate a roof space or basement if applicable.

Setting out your legal entitlements in relation to the communal areas in the building.E.G., does the lease include a right of way over an accessway or staircase?

Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?

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

You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions

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 you can do if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease? For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Lutterworth please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Lutterworth

I am employed by a busy estate agent office in Lutterworth where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales put at risk as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Lutterworth conveyancing solicitors. Please can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

Completion in due on the disposal of our £300000 garden flat in Lutterworth in 5 days. The landlords agents has quoted £372 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Lutterworth?

Lutterworth conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes nine out of ten times necessitates administration charges invoiced by freeholders :

• Completing conveyancing due diligence questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Lutterworth
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Lutterworth leasehold property is £350. For Lutterworth conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide answers.

Lutterworth Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before buying

The majority of Lutterworth leasehold apartments will have a service charge for the upkeep of the building invoiced on behalf of the freeholder. Where you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this liability, normally in instalments throughout the year. This may differ from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay annual, ordinarily this is not a large sum, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to enquire as occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds. You should be aware if it is less than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the property. It is worth checking with your lender that they are content with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will probably need a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have been the owner of the property for two years before you are eligible to extend the lease. Who manages the building?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Lutterworth