I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Piccadilly. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Piccadilly - 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.

I only have Sixty One years left on my flat in Piccadilly. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you have used your best endeavours to locate the landlord. On the whole an enquiry agent may be useful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Piccadilly.

Planning to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Piccadilly. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they will have a report out to me next week. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Piccadilly should include some of the following:

• The total extent of the demise. This will be the apartment itself but could also include a loft or basement if applicable.
• Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?
• Does the lease prevent you from subletting the flat, or working from home
• An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I have just started marketing my 2 bed flat in Piccadilly.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

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 management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until 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.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Piccadilly with the purpose of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Piccadilly can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers solicitors.
• Many freeholders or managing agents in Piccadilly charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Piccadilly.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Piccadilly leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord consenting to such changes. Where you fail to have the approvals in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer before hand.
• If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic rather than unresolved.
• You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your solicitors. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the remaining number of years is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is important 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 property on the market for sale.

I am the proprietor of a a ground floor purpose built flat in Piccadilly. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the premium payable for the purchase of the freehold?

Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a Piccadilly conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Piccadilly property is Flat 1 3 Upper Belgrave Street in December 2010. The Tribunal determined that the price payablefor the Lease extension in respect of the subject premises was £2,202,007 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 21 years.

I bought a ground floor flat in Piccadilly, conveyancing having been completed in 2007. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar properties in Piccadilly with a long lease are worth £214,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2092

You have 66 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £14,300 and £16,400 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.