Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Raunds. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Raunds - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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 let out our Raunds garden flat for a while due to a career opportunity. We used a Raunds conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to seek any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Some leases for properties in Raunds do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor flat in Raunds.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear the invoice 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 unless 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.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Raunds from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Raunds can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers representatives.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Raunds state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Should you dont have the approvals in place do not contact the landlord without contacting your lawyer in the first instance.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £125000 apartment in Raunds in 5 days. The landlords agents has quoted £348 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Raunds?

Raunds conveyancing on leasehold flats often involves the buyer’s conveyancer sending questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions the majority will be willing to do so. They are entitled invoice a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some transactions it is in excess of £800. The administration charge demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the charge is not strictly payable. In reality you have little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

I inherited a split level flat in Raunds, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Raunds with a long lease are worth £175,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2089

With only 64 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £17,100 and £19,800 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Raunds