Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Oxton. Before diving in I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Oxton - 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 exchange soon on a leasehold property in Oxton. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they are sending me a report next week. What should I be looking out for?

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

• You should receive a copy of the lease

I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Oxton.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just had a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the service charge as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to be perfect, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Oxton. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Oxton are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Oxton in which case you should be looking for a Oxton conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the landlord’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your lawyer will advise you fully on all the issues.

I am employed by a busy estate agency in Oxton where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales put at risk as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Oxton conveyancing solicitors. Can you confirm whether the vendor of a flat can initiate 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. The benefit of this is 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 has to be done before, 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.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Oxton - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying

For many Oxton leaseholds the outlay for major works are not incorporated into the maintenance charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Oxton require leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger works. Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge payments? How much is the service charge and ground rent on the property?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Oxton