Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Newbridge. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Newbridge - 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.

Looking forward to complete next month on a garden flat in Newbridge. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• You should receive a copy of the lease

The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and aware of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years

The total extent of the premises. This will be the property itself but may include a roof space or cellar if appropriate.

Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring?

Are pets allowed in the flat?

You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions

Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Newbridge please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Newbridge

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Newbridge. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Newbridge ?

Most houses in Newbridge are freehold and not 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 apparent that you are purchasing in Newbridge in which case you should be looking for a Newbridge conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

I work for a busy estate agency in Newbridge where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales jeopardised as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local Newbridge conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as 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. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

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 buyer.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £150000 flat in Newbridge next Tuesday . The managing agents has quoted £348 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Newbridge?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Newbridge conveyancing will involve, queries regarding the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Answering pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Newbridge
• 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 solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Newbridge leasehold property is £350. For Newbridge 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.

Newbridge Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

If a Newbridge lease has fewer than 80 years it will affect the value of the property. It is worth checking with your lender that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely need a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the residence for 24 months before you are eligible to exercise a lease extension. Who is in charge of the building? This question is useful as a) areas could cause problems for the block as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will need to have all the details

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Newbridge