Recently asked questions relating to Witham leasehold conveyancing
I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Witham. Before I get started I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.
Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Witham - 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.
I am hoping to complete next month on a studio apartment in Witham. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they report fully on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?
Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Witham should include some of the following:
- The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and informed of the importance of the 80 year mark
I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Witham.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?
Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear 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 unless 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 attracted to a couple of maisonettes in Witham which have approximately forty five years unexpired on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?
There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Witham is a deteriorating asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it reduces the salability of the premises. The majority of buyers and mortgage companies, leases with under eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Witham conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.
I am a negotiator for a busy estate agent office in Witham where we see a few leasehold sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local Witham conveyancing firms. Please can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?
As long as 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. This means 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 simultaneously with 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 purchaser.
I purchased a split level flat in Witham, conveyancing having been completed 2008. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable properties in Witham with a long lease are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2090
With 69 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £10,500 and £12,000 as well as professional fees.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.
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