Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Robertsbridge

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Robertsbridge, you will need to appoint a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Santander, Birmingham Midshires or Nationwide be sure to choose a lawyer on their panel. Find a Robertsbridge conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Top Five Questions relating to Robertsbridge leasehold conveyancing

Planning to exchange soon on a garden flat in Robertsbridge. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • You should be sent a copy of the lease
  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
  • The physical extent of the property. This will be the flat itself but may include a loft or cellar if applicable.
  • Are pets allowed in the flat?
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
  • Repair and maintenance of the flat
  • 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 For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Robertsbridge please enquire of your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Robertsbridge

    • I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Robertsbridge.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

    The sensible thing to do is clear the service charge 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 managing agents 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.

    I am a negotiator for a reputable estate agent office in Robertsbridge where we have experienced a few flat sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Robertsbridge conveyancing solicitors. Please can you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?

    Provided that the seller has owned the lease 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. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

    An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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.

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

    When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Robertsbridge conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Robertsbridge conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

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

    • What makes a Robertsbridge lease unmortgageable?

    Leasehold conveyancing in Robertsbridge is not unique. Most leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

    • Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the premises
    • 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. Santander, Leeds Building Society, and Aldermore 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 provide security, forcing the buyer to pull out.

    Robertsbridge Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

      Many Robertsbridge leasehold properties will have a service bill for the upkeep of the building set on behalf of the freeholder. If you acquire the flat you will have to meet this charge, usually in instalments during the year. This can be anything from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. There will also be a rentcharge to be met annual, this is usually not a significant amount, say around £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds. Who manages the block? Does the lease have more than 90 years left?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Robertsbridge