I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Stotfold. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Stotfold - 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.

Looking forward to complete next month on a garden flat in Stotfold. Conveyancing lawyers inform me 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 Stotfold should include some of the following:

• Defining your legal entitlements in relation to the communal areas in the block.For instance, does the lease contain a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• 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 rights to access the flat you be made aware that your landlord has rights of access and I know how much notice s/he must provide.
• What you can do if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I am looking at a couple of maisonettes in Stotfold both have in the region of fifty years left on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

A lease is a right to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease shortens the marketability of the lease reduces and it becomes more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We advise that you seek professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

I work for a long established estate agency in Stotfold where we have experienced a few flat sales put at risk as a result of short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Stotfold conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease 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 proposed purchaser 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 disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is 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.

All being well we will complete our sale of a £ 400000 apartment in Stotfold in seven days. The management company has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Stotfold?

Stotfold conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally involves the buyer’s lawyer submitting enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address these enquiries the majority will be content to do so. They are entitled charge a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it exceeds £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

Stotfold Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

It would be wise to investigate if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For instance some leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Stotfold. If you love the apartmentin Stotfold but your dog is not allowed to move with you then you have a very difficult compromise.