Top Five Questions relating to Market Weighton leasehold conveyancing
I only have 68 years left on my lease in Market Weighton. I am keen to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What are my options?
On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you have used your best endeavours to track down the freeholder. On the whole a specialist would be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Market Weighton.
I own a leasehold house in Market Weighton. Conveyancing and Britannia mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Market Weighton who previously acted has now retired.Do I pay?
The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to instruct a Market Weighton conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.
Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Market Weighton. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?
In a situation 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. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure 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).
Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Market Weighton with the intention of expediting the sale process?
- Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Market Weighton can be reduced where you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
- Many freeholders or managing agents in Market Weighton charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Market Weighton.
What makes a Market Weighton lease unacceptable for security purposes?
Leasehold conveyancing in Market Weighton is not unique. All leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:
- Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the premises
- 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 will likely cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Halifax, Coventry Building Society, and Alliance & Leicester all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, obliging the purchaser to pull out.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Market Weighton - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing
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Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the block?
In the main the outlay for major works tend not to be wrapped into the service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Market Weighton require leasehold owners to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works.
You will want to find out as much as possible concerning the company managing the block as they can either make your life much simpler or problematic. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical matters like the upkeep of the communal areas. Ask other tenants whether they are happy with their service. Finally, be sure you understand the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the relevant party and specifically what it includes.
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