I wish to rent out my leasehold flat in Bedford. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Even though your last Bedford conveyancing solicitor is no longer available you can review your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must seek permission via your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. This means that you cannot sublet without first obtaining permission. Such consent must not not be unreasonably withheld. If the lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

You should [be sent a copy of the lease|receive a copy of the lease]

I am hoping to complete next month on a studio apartment in Bedford. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The unexpired lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease expires, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark
• Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
• 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.
• Responsibility for repairing the window frames
• What you can do if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?

For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Bedford please ask your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Bedford

Back In 2001, I bought a leasehold flat in Bedford. Conveyancing and The Mortgage Works mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing solicitor in Bedford who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

First make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Bedford conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Bedford conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Bedford conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you speak with two or three firms including non Bedford 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 helpful:

• How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation?
• What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing?

We expect to complete the disposal of our £ 275000 garden flat in Bedford next Thursday . The managing agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Bedford?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Bedford conveyancing will involve, queries regarding the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

• Answering pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Bedford
• Copies of the building insurance and schedule
• Deeds of covenant upon sale
• Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Bedford leasehold property is £350. For Bedford conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to supply the information.

Bedford Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before buying

In the main the outlay for major works tend not to be built into the service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Bedford ask leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance. Please note if it is less than 80 years it will affect the marketability of the apartment. Check with your bank that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely need a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this will be. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the residence for 24 months before you are eligible to extend the lease. Who is in charge of the block?