I wish to let out my leasehold apartment in Caddington. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Is permission from the freeholder required?

Notwithstanding that your last Caddington conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can check your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are silent, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you must seek consent via your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet in the absence of prior permission. The consent should not be unreasonably withheld. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord for their consent.

I am attracted to a couple of flats in Caddington which have approximately 50 years remaining on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There are plenty of short leases in Caddington. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease gets shorter the value of the lease decreases and it becomes more costly to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this arena

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Caddington conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Caddington conveyancing practice) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with several firms including non Caddington conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be useful:

• How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation?
• Can they put you in touch with client in Caddington who can give a testimonial?

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Caddington with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Caddington can be reduced where you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
• Many landlords or managing agents in Caddington levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Caddington.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Caddington state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Should you fail to have the paperwork to hand do not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer in advance.
• If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over rather than unresolved.
• If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a new share certificate can be a lengthy formality and slows down many a Caddington home move. If a new share is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on our sale of a £ 500000 flat in Caddington on Wednesday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Caddington?

Caddington conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes nine out of ten times results in administration charges invoiced by landlords agents :

• Completing pre-exchange questions
• Where consent is required before sale in Caddington
• Supplying insurance information
• 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 Caddington leasehold premises is £350. For Caddington 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 answers.

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Caddington, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable properties in Caddington with an extended lease are worth £168,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2086

With just 60 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £20,900 and £24,200 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.