Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in South Shields:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in South Shields, you will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Clydesdale , Yorkshire Building Society or Bradford & Bingley make sure you choose a lawyer on their approved list. Find a South Shields conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Common questions relating to South Shields leasehold conveyancing

There are only 68 years unexpired on my lease in South Shields. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What are my options?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. For most situations a specialist should be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering South Shields.

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a studio apartment in South Shields. Conveyancing lawyers 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 South Shields should include some of the following:

  • The total extent of the property. This will be the flat itself but might include a loft or cellar if appropriate.
  • Are pets allowed in the flat?
  • You should be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
  • 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
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • 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. For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in South Shields please enquire of your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in South Shields

    • I've recently bought a leasehold flat in South Shields. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

    In a situation 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).

    I work for a busy estate agency in South Shields where we see a few flat sales put at risk as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local South Shields conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

    Provided that the seller has been the owner 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. This means 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 prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

    An alternative approach is 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 purchaser.

    What are your top tips when it comes to finding a South Shields conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a South Shields conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you talk with several firms including non South Shields conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be of use:

    • How many lease extensions has the firm carried out in South Shields in the last twenty four months?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in South Shields who can give a testimonial?

    • Leasehold Conveyancing in South Shields - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

      Many South Shields leasehold apartments will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the block set on behalf of the freeholder. If you buy the flat you will have to meet this liability, usually quarterly accross the year. This can differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common areas. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a exorbitant amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to enquire as on occasion it can be prohibitively expensive. Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the leaseholders? Who are the managing agents?

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in South Shields