Planning to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Trowbridge Estate. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• The total extent of the premises. This will be the property itself but may incorporate a roof space or basement if applicable.
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• 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 the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I have just started marketing my 2 bed flat in Trowbridge Estate.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just had a half-yearly service charge invoice – what should I do?

It best that you 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 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 a negotiator for a busy estate agency in Trowbridge Estate where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Trowbridge Estate conveyancing solicitors. Please can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has been the owner 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 can avoid having 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 sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible 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 buyer.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Trowbridge Estate conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Trowbridge Estate conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with two or three 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:

• What volume of lease extensions has the firm conducted in Trowbridge Estate in the last 12 months?
• What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Trowbridge Estate from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Trowbridge Estate can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
• The majority landlords or Management Companies in Trowbridge Estate charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Trowbridge Estate.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Trowbridge Estate state that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. If you fail to have the paperwork to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your conveyancer first.
• If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle 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 purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as over rather than ongoing.
• If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Organising a re-issued share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Trowbridge Estate home move. Where a new share is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

Trowbridge Estate Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before buying

How is the lease structured? The best form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the tenants enjoy being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently retained if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. Many Trowbridge Estate leasehold properties will have a service charge for maintenance of the building invoiced by the management company. Where you buy the property you will have to pay this amount, normally in instalments throughout the year. This may vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common grounds. There will also be a ground rent to be met yearly, this is usually not a significant figure, say around £25-£75 but you need to enquire as on occasion it can be prohibitively expensive.