I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Rednal. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Rednal are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Rednal so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Rednal conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.

I own a leasehold house in Rednal. Conveyancing and Nationwide Building Society mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Rednal who previously acted has now retired.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Rednal conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Rednal conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Rednal conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Rednal conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
• Can they put you in touch with client in Rednal who can give a testimonial?

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Rednal from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Rednal can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
• The majority landlords or managing agents in Rednal charge for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Rednal.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Rednal leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such changes. If you fail to have the consents in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor first.
• Some Rednal leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the yearly 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a new share certificate is often a time consuming process and frustrates many a Rednal conveyancing deal. Where a duplicate share is necessary, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Rednal what are the most frequent lease problems?

Leasehold conveyancing in Rednal is not unique. All leases are unique and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain sections are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the property
• 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

A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Nationwide Building Society, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and Godiva Mortgages Ltd all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.

Rednal Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

Plenty Rednal leasehold flats will have a service charge for the upkeep of the building invoiced on behalf of the management company. If you acquire the property you will have to meet this charge, usually quarterly throughout the year. This can differ from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal grounds. In all probability there will be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, normally this is not a significant figure, say about £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds. You should want to find out as much as you can about the company managing the block as they will either make living at the property much simpler or uncomfortable. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day issues such as the cleanliness of the common parts. You should not be shy to ask prospective neighbours whether they are happy with them. Finally, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the appropriate party and precisely what it includes.