I am hoping to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Stapleton. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark

The physical extent of the premises. This will be the flat itself but may incorporate a loft or basement if appropriate.

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

Repair and maintenance of the flat

Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)

Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Stapleton please ask your lawyer in advance of your conveyancing in Stapleton

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have just discovered that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Stapleton. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Stapleton are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Stapleton in which case you should be shopping around for a Stapleton conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the freeholder’spermission to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.

Back In 2000, I bought a leasehold house in Stapleton. Conveyancing and Coventry Building Society mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Stapleton who previously acted has now retired.What should I do?

First contact HMLR to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Stapleton conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Stapleton conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Stapleton conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Stapleton conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

What are the charges for lease extension conveyancing?

We expect to complete our sale of a £325000 garden flat in Stapleton in seven days. The landlords agents has quoted £384 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Stapleton?

For most leasehold sales in Stapleton conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Addressing pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Stapleton
• 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 Stapleton leasehold premises is £350. For Stapleton 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 obliged to provide answers.

I bought a ground floor flat in Stapleton, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Stapleton with over 90 years remaining are worth £255,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2086

With 64 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £14,300 and £16,400 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

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Lease Extensions in Stapleton