I have recently realised that I have Fifty years left on my flat in Nuneaton. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, 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 find the lessor. In some cases an enquiry agent should be useful to carry out a search and to produce a report to be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Nuneaton.

Expecting to exchange soon on a basement flat in Nuneaton. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Nuneaton should include some of the following:

• The physical extent of the property. This will be the property itself but might incorporate a loft or cellar if appropriate.

Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring?

Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?

Whether the lease restricts you from letting out the flat, or having a home office for business

The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.

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 Nuneaton please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in Nuneaton

Last month I purchased a leasehold flat in Nuneaton. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

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. A critical element 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 offer any advice when it comes to finding a Nuneaton conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Nuneaton conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non Nuneaton conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be helpful:

• What volume of lease extensions have they conducted in Nuneaton in the last twenty four months?

What are the charges for lease extension conveyancing?

All being well we will complete the disposal of our £125000 garden flat in Nuneaton in 10 days. The landlords agents has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Nuneaton?

For most leasehold sales in Nuneaton conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Answering conveyancing due diligence questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Nuneaton
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Nuneaton leasehold premises is £350. For Nuneaton 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 supply the information.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Nuneaton - Sample of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

For most Nuneaton leaseholds the outlay for major works are not wrapped into the maintenance charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Nuneaton ask leaseholders to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance. The majority of Nuneaton leasehold properties will have a service charge for the upkeep of the block invoiced by the landlord. Where you buy the apartment you will have to pay this contribution, normally in instalments during the year. This could be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant amount, say around £50-£100 but you need to enquire as sometimes it can be many hundreds of pounds. Is the freehold owned jointly by the leaseholders?

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Lease Extensions in Nuneaton