Jane (my partner) and I may need to let out our Widdrington 1st floor flat temporarily due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Widdrington conveyancing practice in 2004 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time seek any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your last Widdrington conveyancing solicitor is no longer available you can check your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the property. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you must obtain permission from 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 must not not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease prohibits you from subletting the property you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Widdrington. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they report fully on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor apartment in Widdrington.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly service charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is pay 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 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.

Completion in due on the disposal of our £150000 apartment in Widdrington next week. The landlords agents has quoted £312 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Widdrington?

Widdrington conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally necessitates the buyer’s lawyer submitting enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions the majority will be willing to do so. They are at liberty charge a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that one has no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

What makes a Widdrington lease unmortgageable?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Widdrington. All leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the premises
• A duty to insure the building
• A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

You could encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Accord Mortgages Ltd, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Bank of Ireland all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to pull out.

I inherited a ground floor flat in Widdrington, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2008. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Corresponding flats in Widdrington with a long lease are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 2083

You have 58 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £27,600 and £31,800 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Widdrington