I am hoping to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Poole. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and informed of the importance of the 80 year mark
• The total extent of the premises. This will be the apartment itself but may include a loft or cellar if appropriate.
• Setting out your rights in respect of common areas in the block.For example, does the lease include a right of way over a path or hallways?
• You must be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
• The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
• Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?

Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Poole. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

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. 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).

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

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Poole conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you speak with several firms including non Poole conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be useful:

• How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
• Can they put you in touch with client in Poole who can give a testimonial?

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Poole from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Poole can be avoided if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Poole leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such changes. Should you fail to have the consents in place you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor in the first instance.
• A minority of Poole 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 bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the annual 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 essential that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a property where a dispute is unresolved. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve 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 purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved.
• If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share document. Organising a replacement share certificate is often a lengthy process and slows down many a Poole conveyancing deal. Where a reissued share certificate is required, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £ 250000 apartment in Poole in 8 days. The management company has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Poole?

Poole conveyancing on leasehold flats usually requires the purchaser’s lawyer sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer such questions the majority will be content to do so. They are at liberty levy a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the invoice is technically not due. In reality one has little option but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to sell the property.

I am the registered owner of a basement flat in Poole, conveyancing was carried out in 2011. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Poole with an extended lease are worth £189,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2095

With only 69 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £11,400 and £13,200 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.