Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Sunningdale. Before I get started I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Sunningdale - 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.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor apartment in Sunningdale.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a quarterly service charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

It best that you clear the service charge 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 until 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I am attracted to a couple of flats in Sunningdale both have about fifty years remaining on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Sunningdale. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As a lease shortens the value of the lease reduces and results in it becoming more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is advisable to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area

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

If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Sunningdale conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Sunningdale conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

• What volume of lease extensions have they completed in Sunningdale in the last year?
• What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Sunningdale with the purpose of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Sunningdale can be reduced if you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Sunningdale state that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such changes. Should you fail to have the paperwork in place you should not contact the landlord without contacting your solicitor in advance.
• A minority of Sunningdale leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.
• If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a property where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
• You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but you should double-check by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is below 80 years. It is therefore important at an early stage 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.

Sunningdale Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the leaseholders enjoy being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is often retained if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves.