My husband and I may need to rent out our Salford 1st floor flat for a while due to a new job. We instructed a Salford conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time get any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your previous Salford conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can review your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the premises. The rule is that if the lease is silent, subletting is allowed. There may be a precondition that you are obliged to obtain consent via your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. This means that you cannot sublet in the absence of first obtaining permission. Such consent must not not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease prohibits you from letting out the property you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

Looking forward to complete next month on a basement flat in Salford. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they will have a report out to me next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Salford should include some of the following:

• Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?
• Whether the lease restricts you from subletting the flat, or having a home office for business
• 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
• Whether your lease has a provision for a sinking fund?
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• 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

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have just found out that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Salford. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Salford ?

The majority of houses in Salford are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Salford in which case you should be looking for a Salford conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.

I am attracted to a couple of maisonettes in Salford both have in the region of fifty years remaining on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Salford. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the marketability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more expensive to extend the lease. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. Sometimes it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We recommend you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field

Completion in due on the sale of our £ 400000 apartment in Salford next Wednesday . The management company has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Salford?

Salford conveyancing on leasehold apartments more often than not necessitates the buyer’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries most will be willing to do so. They are at liberty invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to complete the sale of your home.

I own a 1 bedroom flat in Salford, conveyancing formalities finalised 2000. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Salford with a long lease are worth £195,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2085

With just 59 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £22,800 and £26,400 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.