Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Radlett

Get a Quote

Leasehold conveyancing in Radlett is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Radlett and across next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Radlett leasehold conveyancing Example Support Desk Enquiries

My wife and I may need to let out our Radlett ground floor flat for a while due to a new job. We used a Radlett conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time seek any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Even though your previous Radlett conveyancing solicitor is not available you can review your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the premises. The rule is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to obtain permission via your landlord or other appropriate person before subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without prior consent. The consent is not allowed to be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If your lease prohibits you from subletting the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years remaining on my flat in Radlett. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What options are available to me?

On the basis that 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 lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to locate the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent should be helpful to try and locate and prepare a report to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Radlett.

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

When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Radlett conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you talk with two or three firms including non Radlett conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be of use:

  • Can they put you in touch with client in Radlett who can give a testimonial?
  • What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Radlett with the aim of expediting the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Radlett can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
    • Many freeholders or managing agents in Radlett charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have 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 frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Radlett.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Radlett leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord approving such changes. Where you dont have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in advance.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Organising a new share certificate can be a lengthy process and delays many a Radlett home move. Where a duplicate share certificate is required, do contact the company director and secretary 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 advisable double-check by asking your lawyers. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the lease term is under 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

    • I am the registered owner of a ground floor flat in Radlett. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum payable for the purchase of the freehold?

    in cases where there is a missing freeholder or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to calculate the price payable.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Radlett flat is 42 Churchill Road in March 2013. The Tribunal determined that the price payable in respect of the acquisition of the freehold of the property as required under the terms of the Court Order dated 21 December 2012, is£26,958 This case was in relation to 1 flat.

    Are there common defects that you witness in leases for Radlett properties?

    Leasehold conveyancing in Radlett is not unique. All leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain clauses are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the building
    • Insurance obligations
    • Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
    • Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

    You may encounter difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. HSBC Bank, Leeds Building Society, and TSB all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Radlett