I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Shildon. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Shildon - 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.

There are only Seventy years left on my lease in Shildon. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What are my options?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to locate the landlord. On the whole a specialist may be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Shildon.

Expecting to exchange soon on a basement flat in Shildon. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they will have a report out to me on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• You should be sent a copy of the lease

I am employed by a busy estate agent office in Shildon where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Shildon conveyancing solicitors. Can you clarify whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start 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 sit tight for 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.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £425000 maisonette in Shildon in just under a week. The landlords agents has quoted £420 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Shildon?

Shildon conveyancing on leasehold apartments more often than not requires the buyer’s conveyancer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to such questions most will be willing to do so. They are at liberty charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to questions 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 situations it exceeds £800. The administration charge demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality you have little choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to sell the property.

Shildon Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

Be sure to find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Shildon. If you like the flatin Shildon yet your cat is not allowed to make the move with you then you will be faced hard determination. It is important to be aware if changing the roof or some other major work is due in the foreseeable future to be shared by the leasehold owners and may well dramatically impact the level of the service charges or require a specific invoice. How many years are left on the lease?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Shildon