Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Stockbridge Village. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Stockbridge Village - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

I only have Sixty One years unexpired on my lease in Stockbridge Village. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?

On the basis that you qualify, 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 mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the lessor. On the whole a specialist should be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document to be used as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Stockbridge Village.

I have just started marketing my garden flat in Stockbridge Village.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a half-yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

It best that you clear the invoice as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Stockbridge Village conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Stockbridge Village conveyancing practice) it is most important 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 Stockbridge Village conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

• Can they put you in touch with client in Stockbridge Village who can give a testimonial?

What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing?

We expect to complete the sale of our £500000 flat in Stockbridge Village in six days. The freeholder has quoted £384 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Stockbridge Village?

Stockbridge Village conveyancing on leasehold apartments nine out of ten times necessitates fees being levied by freeholders :

• Completing pre-contract enquiries
• Where consent is required before sale in Stockbridge Village
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Stockbridge Village leasehold property is £350. For Stockbridge Village 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 supply answers.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Stockbridge Village - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Plenty Stockbridge Village leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the block set by the management company. Where you buy the flat you will have to pay this charge, usually in instalments during the year. This could differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a large amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to enquire it because sometimes it could be surprisingly expensive. The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the leaseholders enjoy control and even though a managing agent is usually employed where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. How much is the ground rent and service charge?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Stockbridge Village