Leasehold Conveyancing in Runcorn - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Runcorn, you will need to appoint a conveyancing lawyer with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Lloyds, RBS or Nationwide be sure to find a lawyer on their panel. Find a Runcorn conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Common questions relating to Runcorn leasehold conveyancing

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Runcorn. Before I set the wheels in motion I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Runcorn - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

Frank (my husband) and I may need to sub-let our Runcorn 1st floor flat for a while due to a new job. We used a Runcorn conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time seek any guidance as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your last Runcorn conveyancing lawyer is not around you can review your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the property. The rule is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you need to seek consent from your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet in the absence of first obtaining consent. The consent is not allowed to be unreasonably withheld. If your lease prohibits you from subletting the property you should ask your landlord for their consent.

I am attracted to a couple of apartments in Runcorn both have about forty five years remaining on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Runcorn. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As a lease gets shorter the saleability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more expensive to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We advise that you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Runcorn from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Runcorn can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Runcorn state that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. If you dont have the approvals in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand.
  • A minority of Runcorn leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.
  • If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
  • You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • Completion in due on the disposal of our £350000 maisonette in Runcorn in seven days. The managing agents has quoted £384 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Runcorn?

    Runcorn conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not necessitates the buyer’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer such questions most will be willing to do so. They may invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some transactions it is in excess of £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have no option but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to complete the sale of your home.

    Runcorn Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before buying

      Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other major work is coming up to be shared between the leaseholders and will materially impact the level of the maintenance charges or necessitate a one off invoice. You will want to discover as much as you can about the managing agents as they can either make your life much simpler or problematic. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters such as the tidiness of the common parts. Enquire of other tenants what they think of them. Finally, find out the dates that the maintenance fees are due to the appropriate party and specifically how they are spending that money. What prohibitions are there in the Runcorn Lease?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Runcorn