Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Oldham

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Any conveyancing practice can theoretically deal with your leasehold conveyancing in Oldham, your mortgage provider may unwilling to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Top Five Questions relating to Oldham leasehold conveyancing

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently found out that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Oldham. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Oldham ?

Most houses in Oldham are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Oldham so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Oldham conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the freeholder’sconsent to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Oldham. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, 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 be sure 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).

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agent office in Oldham where we have experienced a few flat sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have received conflicting advice from local Oldham conveyancing solicitors. Can you confirm whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. 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 disposal of the property.

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 purchaser.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Oldham conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Oldham conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Oldham conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

  • How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?
  • If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

    • Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Oldham from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Oldham can be reduced if you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers representatives.
    • Some Oldham leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand 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 lawyers.
  • If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a flat where a dispute is unresolved. You will have to accept that you will have to 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 ahead of 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 reveal the dispute as historic rather than ongoing.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a new share certificate can be a lengthy process and frustrates many a Oldham home move. Where a duplicate share is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible.
  • You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should verify this by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the remaining number of years is less than 75 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • Oldham Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before buying

      The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the lessees have control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently retained if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. It would be prudent to enquire if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. By way of example it is reasonably common in Oldham leases that pets are not permitted in in a block in Oldham. If you love the apartmentin Oldham but your dog can’t live with you then you will be faced hard determination. Can you tell me if there are any major works in the planning that could increase the service costs?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Oldham