I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in St Columb. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in St Columb - 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.

You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

Due to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in St Columb. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring?
• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• Whether the lease restricts you from renting out the flat, or having a home office for business
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?

For a comprehensive list of information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in St Columb please enquire of your solicitor in advance of your conveyancing in St Columb

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agent office in St Columb where we see a few flat sales put at risk as a result of short leases. I have received conflicting advice from local St Columb conveyancing firms. Can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can start 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 kick-start 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 to extend their lease. 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.

Alternatively, it may be possible 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.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a St Columb conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a St Columb conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with two or three firms including non St Columb conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

• How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the sale of our £ 450000 flat in St Columb on Thursday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in St Columb?

St Columb conveyancing on leasehold flats nine out of ten times results in fees being levied by management companies :

• Completing pre-exchange enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in St Columb
• Supplying insurance information
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for St Columb leasehold property is £350. For St Columb 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 answers.

I acquired a studio flat in St Columb, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2007. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in St Columb with an extended lease are worth £195,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2080

With just 54 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £32,300 and £37,400 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.