I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Tewkesbury. Before diving in I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

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

There are only Sixty One years unexpired on my flat in Tewkesbury. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, 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 enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to find the landlord. In some cases a specialist may be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document which can be used as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Tewkesbury.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Tewkesbury.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is discharge 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 management companies 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.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Tewkesbury. Conveyancing and Britannia mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Tewkesbury who previously acted has long since retired.What should I do?

First make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to instruct a Tewkesbury conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Completion in due on the sale of our £250000 maisonette in Tewkesbury in 8 days. The landlords agents has quoted £360 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Tewkesbury?

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

• Answering pre-contract questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Tewkesbury
• 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 Tewkesbury leasehold property is £350. For Tewkesbury 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.

Tewkesbury Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying

Is there a share of the freehold? How much is the ground rent and service charge? Plenty Tewkesbury leasehold flats will incur a service bill for maintenance of the block levied by the freeholder. Should you buy the flat you will have to meet this liability, normally in instalments throughout the year. This could be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant sum, say about £25-£75 but you should to check as sometimes it can be prohibitively expensive.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Tewkesbury