I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Pantymwyn.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

It best that you clear 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

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

In a situation 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. However, 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).

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Pantymwyn conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Pantymwyn conveyancing practice) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Pantymwyn conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

• How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Pantymwyn from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Pantymwyn can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers representatives.
• The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Pantymwyn charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Pantymwyn.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s consent? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Pantymwyn leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. If you fail to have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor in advance.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you are holding the original share certificate. Organising a new share certificate is often a lengthy formality and delays many a Pantymwyn conveyancing transaction. If a duplicate share certificate is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later.
• You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your lawyers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £ 300000 flat in Pantymwyn next week. The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Pantymwyn?

Pantymwyn conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally necessitates the purchaser’s solicitor sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address these enquiries the majority will be content to assist. They are at liberty charge a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to sell the property.

I inherited a 1st floor flat in Pantymwyn, conveyancing was carried out 9 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Pantymwyn with an extended lease are worth £260,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2091

With just 65 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £16,200 and £18,600 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.