I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Finchampstead. Before diving in I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Finchampstead - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars 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.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Finchampstead. Conveyancing and Platform Home Loans Ltd mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing solicitor in Finchampstead who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

First contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Finchampstead conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Last month I purchased a leasehold property in Finchampstead. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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 be sure 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 Finchampstead conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Finchampstead conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you talk with several firms including non Finchampstead conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be useful:

• If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £250000 apartment in Finchampstead on Friday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £420 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Finchampstead?

Finchampstead conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes often necessitates the purchaser’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer these enquiries most will be willing to do so. They are at liberty levy a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. In reality one has little option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

Finchampstead Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

It would be prudent to find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example it is reasonably common in Finchampstead leases that pets are not allowed in in a block in Finchampstead. If you like the apartmentin Finchampstead yet your dog can’t live with you then you have a very difficult choice. Is there a share of the freehold? What restrictions exist in the Finchampstead Lease?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Finchampstead