I wish to rent out my leasehold apartment in Trowbridge Estate. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for permission?

Notwithstanding that your last Trowbridge Estate conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can check your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is silent, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you need to obtain consent via your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. The net result is you not allowed to sublet in the absence of prior consent. The consent should not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

Planning to exchange soon on a basement flat in Trowbridge Estate. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they report fully within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Trowbridge Estate should include some of the following:

• You should receive a copy of the lease

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Trowbridge Estate conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

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

• How familiar is the practice with lease extension legislation?

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £425000 maisonette in Trowbridge Estate on Friday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Trowbridge Estate?

Trowbridge Estate conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally requires the purchaser’s solicitor sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to these enquiries most will be content to assist. They are at liberty charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the invoice is technically not due. In reality one has no choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to complete the sale of your home.

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Trowbridge Estate what are the most frequent lease problems?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Trowbridge Estate. All leases are individual and drafting errors can result in certain provisions are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the property
• Insurance obligations
• A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
• Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

You may have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Santander, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Britannia all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to pull out.

I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Trowbridge Estate, conveyancing having been completed 5 years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable properties in Trowbridge Estate with a long lease are worth £215,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2084

With 60 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £23,800 and £27,400 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Trowbridge Estate