Leasehold Conveyancing in Middlesbrough - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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Leasehold conveyancing in Middlesbrough 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 Middlesbrough and across next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Top Five Questions relating to Middlesbrough leasehold conveyancing

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Middlesbrough. Before diving in I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Middlesbrough - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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.

Due to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Middlesbrough. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

  • The physical extent of the property. This will be the flat itself but might include a loft or cellar if applicable.
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
  • 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
  • Repair and maintenance of the flat
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames
  • What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Middlesbrough please enquire of your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Middlesbrough

    • Back In 2008, I bought a leasehold house in Middlesbrough. Conveyancing and Chelsea Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Middlesbrough who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

    The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Middlesbrough conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

    I work for a reputable estate agency in Middlesbrough where we have witnessed a number of flat sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Middlesbrough conveyancing solicitors. Could you confirm whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities 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 proposed purchaser 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 needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

    Alternatively, it may be possible 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 buyer.

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

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Middlesbrough can be avoided where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
    • The majority landlords or managing agents in Middlesbrough charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought 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 reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Middlesbrough.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Middlesbrough state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such works. Should you fail to have the consents in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in the first instance.
  • A minority of Middlesbrough leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying 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 buyers or their solicitors.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check via your lawyers. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 75 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

    • Middlesbrough Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

      How long is the Lease? On the whole the cost for major works are not included within service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Middlesbrough obliged tenants to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger works. How much is the service charge and ground rent on the property?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Middlesbrough