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Leasehold conveyancing in Wareham is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Wareham and across next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Frequently asked questions relating to Wareham leasehold conveyancing

Due to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Wareham. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they report fully on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

  • The total extent of the demise. This will be the apartment itself but might include a loft or cellar if appropriate.
  • Setting out your rights in respect of the communal areas in the block.For instance, does the lease include a right of way over an accessway or hallways?
  • Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
  • 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 obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Wareham please ask your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Wareham

    • I have just appointed agents to market my garden apartment in Wareham.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just received a yearly service charge invoice – what should I do?

    It best that you pay 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 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

    My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Wareham. Conveyancing and Nationwide Building Society mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing practitioner in Wareham who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

    First contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Wareham conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

    Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Wareham from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Wareham can be reduced where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers conveyancers.
    • The majority freeholders or managing agents in Wareham charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Wareham.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Wareham leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord approving such works. If you dont have the approvals in place you should not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer in the first instance.
  • Some Wareham leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. 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 purchasers or their lawyers.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your solicitors. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is below 80 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • What makes a Wareham lease defective?

    There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Wareham. Most leases is drafted differently and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain sections are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

    • A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the building
    • A duty to insure the building
    • Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
    • Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

    A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Yorkshire Building Society, Coventry Building Society, and Platform Home Loans Ltd all have express 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 problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.

    Leasehold Conveyancing in Wareham - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying

      Generally speaking the outlay for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, although there some managing agents in Wareham require leasehold owners to contribute towards a reserve fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for larger repairs or maintenance. If a Wareham lease has no more than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your lender that they are content with remaining years on the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably need a lease extension at some point and it is worth discovering how much this will be. For most Warehamlease extensions you will be required to have owned the residence for a couple of years before you are legally able to extend the lease. It is important to be aware if fixing the lift or some other significant cost is due shortly that will be shared between the tenants and may well dramatically increase the the maintenance charges or necessitate a one off invoice.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Wareham