Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Downend:

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Leasehold conveyancing in Downend is more complex than freehold. Your home move will be smoother where you choose a lawyer with a wealth of experience of leasehold conveyancing in Downend and throughout next step up in loc. The lawyers we recommend have been approved by your lender so use our search tool to check.

Sample questions relating to Downend leasehold conveyancing

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 68 years remaining on my flat in Downend. I now wish to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to track down the lessor. On the whole an enquiry agent would be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Downend.

Expecting to complete next month on a basement flat in Downend. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Downend should include some of the following:

  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, freeholder
  • Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?
  • You should be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?
  • What you can do if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?
  • What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For details of the information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Downend please enquire of your lawyer in ahead of your conveyancing in Downend

    • I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two maisonettes in Downend which have in the region of fifty years remaining on the leases. Do I need to be concerned?

    There are plenty of short leases in Downend. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease shortens the marketability of the lease reduces and results in it becoming more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field

    What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Downend conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Downend conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non Downend conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be of use:

    • If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?
  • How many lease extensions have they completed in Downend in the last twenty four months?

    • Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Downend with the purpose of expediting the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Downend can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • Many landlords or Management Companies in Downend levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. 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 frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Downend.
  • Some Downend leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The 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 buyers or their lawyers.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Obtaining a re-issued share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Downend home move. Where a reissued share certificate is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable verify this via your solicitors. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is below 75 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

    • Downend Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

      It would be a good idea to find out if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example it is reasonably common in Downend leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Downend. If you like the flatin Downend yet your dog is not allowed to live with you then you have a very difficult compromise. Is the freehold owned jointly by the tenants? Most Downend leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for the upkeep of the building set on behalf of the freeholder. Should you acquire the property you will have to meet this liability, normally quarterly during the year. This may differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. There will also be a rentcharge to be met yearly, ordinarily this is not a large amount, say around £50-£100 but you should to check as sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Downend