Leasehold Conveyancing in Patcham - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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

Top Five Questions relating to Patcham leasehold conveyancing

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Patcham. Before diving in I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Patcham - 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.

My fiance and I may need to rent out our Patcham garden flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We used a Patcham conveyancing firm in 2003 but they have closed and we did not think at the time seek any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your last Patcham conveyancing lawyer is not around you can review your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the property. The rule is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you need to seek permission from your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet without prior consent. The consent should not be unreasonably withheld. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

I have recently realised that I have Sixty One years unexpired on my lease in Patcham. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What are my options?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. In some cases a specialist may be helpful to try and locate and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Patcham.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Patcham. Conveyancing and Aldermore mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing solicitor in Patcham who previously acted has long since retired.What should I do?

First make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Patcham conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

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

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. 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 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).

Patcham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before buying

    The answer will be helpful as a) areas can cause problems for the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the running of the building you will wish to have all the details Its a good idea to find out as much as you can concerning the company managing the building as they can either make your living at the property much easier or much more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to day to day matters like the tidiness of the common parts. Enquire of other tenants whether they are happy with them. In conclusion, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and specifically what it includes. Many Patcham leasehold properties will have a service bill for maintenance of the building invoiced on behalf of the landlord. Should you purchase the flat you will have to meet this amount, usually in instalments during the year. This can vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met yearly, normally this is not a exorbitant amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to check it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Patcham