Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Seahouses. Before diving in I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Seahouses - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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.

Planning to complete next month on a leasehold property in Seahouses. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?

You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions

Repair and maintenance of the flat

The landlord’s rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.

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

What options are open to you if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease?

What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Seahouses please ask your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Seahouses

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have since been informed that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Seahouses. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Seahouses ?

The majority of houses in Seahouses are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Seahouses in which case you should be shopping around for a Seahouses conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Seahouses. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £450000 apartment in Seahouses next week. The landlords agents has quoted £312 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Seahouses?

Seahouses conveyancing on leasehold flats normally involves fees being levied by managing agents :

• Completing pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Seahouses
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Seahouses leasehold premises is £350. For Seahouses conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide the information.

Seahouses Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Can you tell me if there are any major works in the planning that could add a premium to the maintenance charges? The prefered form of lease arrangement is where the freehold title is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the lessees have control and even though a managing agent is often retained if the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. Please note that where the lease has less than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the property. Check with your bank that they are happy with the length of the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably need a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have owned the residence for two years before you are legally able to extend the lease.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Seahouses