Leasehold Conveyancing in Abridge - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Abridge, you will need to chose a conveyancing solicitor with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Halifax, Yorkshire Building Society or Nationwide be sure to find a lawyer on their panel. Feel free to use our search tool

Recently asked questions relating to Abridge leasehold conveyancing

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Abridge. Before I get started I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Abridge - 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've recently bought a leasehold house in Abridge. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation 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 offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Abridge conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Abridge conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with several firms including non Abridge 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 useful:

  • If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Abridge who can give a testimonial?

    • Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Abridge from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Abridge can be reduced if you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
    • The majority landlords or Management Companies in Abridge levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Abridge.
  • A minority of Abridge leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are 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 solicitors.
  • If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to 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 will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as over rather than ongoing.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your lawyers. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • Completion in due on the sale of our £200000 flat in Abridge next week. The landlords agents has quoted £312 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Abridge?

    Abridge conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes often necessitates the buyer’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries most will be content to assist. They may 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 over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it is in excess of £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality one has little option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to complete the sale of your home.

    Following years of negotiations we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Abridge. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

    Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Abridge conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Abridge residence is 201 & 201a St. Barnabas Road in October 2013. The Tribunal decided that the price to be paid by the Applicants for the freehold interest is £20,071. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 69.26 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Abridge