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

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Bedford, you will need to appoint a conveyancing lawyer with leasehold experience. Whether your lender is to be Santander, Yorkshire Building Society or Bradford & Bingley be sure to find a lawyer on their approved list. Feel free to use our search tool

Sample questions relating to Bedford leasehold conveyancing

I am hoping to complete next month on a basement flat in Bedford. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

  • You must be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
  • 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 obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames
  • What options are open to you if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease? For details of the information to be contained in your report on your leasehold property in Bedford please ask your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Bedford

    • I today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently found out that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Bedford. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Bedford ?

    The majority of houses in Bedford are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Bedford so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Bedford conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the landlord’sconsent to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer should appraise you on the various issues.

    I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of maisonettes in Bedford which have about 50 years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

    A lease is a right to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the saleability of the lease deteriorate and results in it becoming more expensive to extend the lease. For this reason it is often a good idea to increase the term of the lease. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area

    Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Bedford from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Bedford can be reduced where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers representatives.
    • The majority landlords or managing agents in Bedford levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Bedford.
  • A minority of Bedford leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, 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 financially capable of paying 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 conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where a dispute is ongoing. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. 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 particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic rather than unresolved.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but you should verify this by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is below 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

    • We expect to complete the sale of our £400000 maisonette in Bedford on Thursday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £420 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Bedford?

    Bedford conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually requires the purchaser’s conveyancer sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions the majority will be content to assist. They are entitled charge a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries 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 situations it is in excess of £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, otherwise the charge is technically not due. In reality one has little option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    I am the registered owner of a ground floor flat in Bedford, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar flats in Bedford with over 90 years remaining are worth £250,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2080

    You have 55 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £28,500 and £33,000 as well as professional fees.

    The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Bedford