Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Sprowston:

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Leasehold conveyancing in Sprowston is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Sprowston and throughout next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Common questions relating to Sprowston leasehold conveyancing

Looking forward to exchange soon on a garden flat in Sprowston. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
  • The physical extent of the premises. This will be the apartment itself but may include a loft or cellar if applicable.
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Sprowston please ask your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Sprowston

    • I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to meet my requirements, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Sprowston. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Sprowston ?

    The majority of houses in Sprowston are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Sprowston in which case you should be shopping around for a Sprowston conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will report to you on the legal implications.

    I am employed by a long established estate agent office in Sprowston where we see a few leasehold sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Sprowston conveyancing firms. Can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can initiate 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 start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

    An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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.

    What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Sprowston conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

    When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Sprowston conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Sprowston conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be of use:

    • How familiar is the practice with lease extension legislation?
  • What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Sprowston with the intention of expediting the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Sprowston can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers.
    • Many freeholders or Management Companies in Sprowston levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Sprowston.
  • 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 Sprowston state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such works. Should you fail to have the approvals in place you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer first.
  • If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where a dispute is unsettled. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. 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 particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as historic rather than ongoing.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your lawyers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

    • Sprowston Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

      On the whole the outlay for major works tend not to be incorporated into the service charges, although there some managing agents in Sprowston ask leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for major repairs or maintenance. Who are the managing agents? Most Sprowston leasehold properties will have a service bill for maintenance of the block levied on behalf of the landlord. Should you acquire the property you will have to meet this amount, usually in instalments accross the year. This may differ from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common grounds. In all probability there will be a ground rent for you to pay annual, this is usually not a significant figure, say about £50-£100 but you should to check as on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Sprowston