Leasehold Conveyancing in St Anns - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in St Anns, you will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Halifax, RBS or Nationwide make sure you find a lawyer on their approved list. Find a St Anns conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Recently asked questions relating to St Anns leasehold conveyancing

I only have Fifty years unexpired on my flat in St Anns. I now wish to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that 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 an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. In some cases an enquiry agent may be useful to try and locate and prepare a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing St Anns.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in St Anns. Conveyancing and Nationwide Building Society mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing solicitor in St Anns who previously acted has long since retired.What should I do?

First contact HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a St Anns conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I am a negotiator for a long established estate agent office in St Anns where we have experienced a number of flat sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local St Anns conveyancing firms. Could you confirm whether the owner 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 commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, 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 purchaser.

What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a St Anns conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a St Anns conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you speak with two or three firms including non St Anns conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be helpful:

  • If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in St Anns who can give a testimonial?

    • Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in St Anns from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

    • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in St Anns can be avoided where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
    • The majority freeholders or managing agents in St Anns levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in St Anns.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? St Anns leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Where you fail to have the approvals to hand do not contact the landlord without contacting your lawyer first.
  • A minority of St Anns leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.
  • You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable verify this by asking your solicitors. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the remaining number of years is below 75 years. It is therefore important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • I acquired a basement flat in St Anns, conveyancing was carried out in 2009. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in St Anns with a long lease are worth £230,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2083

    With just 58 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £24,700 and £28,600 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

    The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in St Anns