I today plan to offer on a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Preston Park. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Preston Park are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Preston Park in which case you should be shopping around for a Preston Park conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor should report to you on the legal implications.

I am attracted to a two flats in Preston Park both have about 50 years left on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold flat in Preston Park is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the marketability of the premises. The majority of purchasers and banks, leases with under eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Preston Park conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agent office in Preston Park where we have experienced a number of flat sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Preston Park conveyancing firms. Could you confirm whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, 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.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Preston Park from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Preston Park can be reduced if you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• Many freeholders or managing agents in Preston Park levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Preston Park.

In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Preston Park leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. Should you dont have the approvals in place you should not contact the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance.

If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Arranging a new share certificate can be a time consuming process and slows down many a Preston Park conveyancing transaction. Where a reissued share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to verify this by asking your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is below 75 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

Completion in due on the disposal of our £375000 flat in Preston Park in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £396 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Preston Park?

Preston Park conveyancing on leasehold apartments ordinarily necessitates administration charges raised by management companies :

• Addressing conveyancing due diligence enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Preston Park
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Preston Park leasehold premises is £350. For Preston Park conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to supply the information.

Preston Park Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

Best to be warned if fixing the lift or some other major work is due in the foreseeable future to be shared between the leaseholders and will dramatically increase the the service fees or require a one off invoice. What is the the remaining lease term? It would be sensible to discover if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example some leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Preston Park. If you love the flatin Preston Park yet your dog can’t live with you then you will be faced difficult determination.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Preston Park