Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Reading:

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Sample questions relating to Reading leasehold conveyancing

There are only 72 years unexpired on my lease in Reading. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to track down the freeholder. On the whole an enquiry agent would be helpful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Reading.

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Reading. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Reading should include some of the following:

  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
  • You must be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • 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
  • I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?
  • The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Reading please ask your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Reading

    • I work for a reputable estate agent office in Reading where we see a number of leasehold sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Reading conveyancing firms. Please can you confirm whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

    Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

    Alternatively, it may be possible 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 purchaser.

    Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Reading conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Reading conveyancing firm) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Reading conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

    • How many lease extensions has the firm completed in Reading in the last 12 months?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Reading who can give a testimonial?

    • In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Reading what are the most frequent lease defects?

    There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Reading. All leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain clauses are erroneous. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

    • Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the building
    • A duty to insure the building
    • 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

    A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. HSBC Bank, Coventry Building Society, and Nottingham Building Society all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to withdraw.

    Reading Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

      How is the lease structured? The prefered form of lease structure is where the freehold reversion is owned by the leaseholders. In this situation the tenants enjoy control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually employed where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. This information is useful as a) areas may result in problems in the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate if services are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to know about it

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Reading