I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Woodbury. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Woodbury ?

Most houses in Woodbury are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Woodbury in which case you should be looking for a Woodbury conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Woodbury. Conveyancing and Nottingham Building Society mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Woodbury who acted for me is not around.What should I do?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Woodbury conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Woodbury. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Woodbury from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Woodbury can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers solicitors.
• The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Woodbury levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Woodbury.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £475000 apartment in Woodbury next week. The freeholder has quoted £372 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Woodbury?

Woodbury conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not requires the purchaser’s conveyancer sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to such questions the majority will be content to do so. They may invoice a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it exceeds £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration charges, otherwise the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that you have little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

I own a ground floor flat in Woodbury, conveyancing was carried out 2006. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding properties in Woodbury with an extended lease are worth £247,000. The ground rent is £60 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2078

With just 55 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

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Lease Extensions in Woodbury