Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Winchester:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Winchester, you will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Clydesdale , RBS or NatWest be sure to find a lawyer on their approved list. Find a Winchester conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Sample questions relating to Winchester leasehold conveyancing

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Winchester. Before I get started I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Winchester - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Winchester. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they report fully within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

  • The physical extent of the property. This will be the apartment itself but may incorporate a loft or cellar if appropriate.
  • Whether the lease restricts you from subletting the property, or having a home office for business
  • An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has
  • Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve fund?
  • 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 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.
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Winchester please enquire of your conveyancer in ahead of your conveyancing in Winchester

    • My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Winchester. Conveyancing and Skipton Building Society mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Winchester who previously acted has now retired.What should I do?

    The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Winchester conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

    Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Winchester conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

    When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Winchester conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Winchester conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be helpful:

    • If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
  • How many lease extensions have they conducted in Winchester in the last year?

    • Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Winchester from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Winchester can be reduced if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
    • Many landlords or Management Companies in Winchester charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Winchester.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Winchester state that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such works. Where you fail to have the approvals in place you should not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer first.
  • A minority of Winchester leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet 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.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve 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 are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.

    • Winchester Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

      Does this lease have more than 90 years unexpired? In the main the outlay for major works tend not to be incorporated into the service charges, although some managing agents in Winchester obliged leaseholders to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for larger repairs or maintenance. Many Winchester leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the building set on behalf of the freeholder. Should you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this liability, usually in instalments during the year. This may differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, ordinarily this is not a significant figure, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to check as occasionally it could be many hundreds of pounds.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Winchester