Looking forward to exchange soon on a basement flat in Woburn Sands. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they report fully on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

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

• Defining your legal entitlements in respect of common areas in the block.By way of example, does the lease provide for a right of way over a path or hallways?
• Does the lease prevent you from letting out 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
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• 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.
• Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice?

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Woburn Sands. Conveyancing and National Westminster Bank mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Woburn Sands who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Woburn Sands conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am looking at a two flats in Woburn Sands both have about forty five years left on the lease term. should I be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Woburn Sands. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the value of the lease decreases and it becomes more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on such properties. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We recommend you seek professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena

I am a negotiator for a reputable estate agent office in Woburn Sands where we see a number of leasehold sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local Woburn Sands conveyancing solicitors. Please can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process 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 kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, 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.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £ 150000 garden flat in Woburn Sands next Friday . The management company has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Woburn Sands?

Woburn Sands conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes often necessitates the purchaser’s conveyancer sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address such questions most will be content to do so. They are entitled charge a reasonable charge for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some transactions it exceeds £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the charge is not strictly payable. In reality one has no choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

Woburn Sands Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

The best form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the tenants have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often employed if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. How much is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the apartment?