I've found a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Maulden. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Maulden are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Maulden in which case you should be shopping around for a Maulden conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to dealing with 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 with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the freeholder’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.

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

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Maulden conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with two or three firms including non Maulden conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
• What volume of lease extensions has the firm carried out in Maulden in the last twenty four months?

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Maulden from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Maulden can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Maulden state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. If you fail to have the approvals to hand you should not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor first.
• A minority of Maulden 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 financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.
• If there is a history of 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 reluctant to purchase 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 the buyers completing the purchase. 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 details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as over as opposed to unsettled.
• If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you have the original share document. Arranging a new share certificate is often a time consuming process and delays many a Maulden home move. Where a duplicate share is necessary, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £ 425000 flat in Maulden in seven days. The landlords agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Maulden?

Maulden conveyancing on leasehold flats normally necessitates administration charges raised by landlords agents :

• Completing pre-contract enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Maulden
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Maulden leasehold property is £350. For Maulden 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 obliged to provide answers.

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Maulden what are the most frequent lease problems?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Maulden. Most leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain provisions are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• A provision to repair 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.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Birmingham Midshires, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Barclays Direct all have express requirements 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, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.

I bought a 2 bed flat in Maulden, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2004. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Maulden with a long lease are worth £180,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2083

You have 57 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £23,800 and £27,400 as well as professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.