I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Grangetown. Before I get started I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Grangetown - 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.

Jane (my partner) and I may need to sub-let our Grangetown basement flat for a while due to a new job. We instructed a Grangetown conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Your lease governs relations between the landlord and you the flat owner; specifically, it will say if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain conditions. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. The majority of leases in Grangetown do not prevent subletting altogether – such a provision would adversely affect the market value the property. Instead, there is usually a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a copy of the sublease.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement apartment in Grangetown.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you discharge the service charge as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Grangetown. Conveyancing and Clydesdale mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Grangetown who previously acted has long since retired.Any advice?

First make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Grangetown conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

We expect to complete our sale of a £225000 flat in Grangetown next week. The landlords agents has quoted £372 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Grangetown?

Grangetown conveyancing on leasehold apartments usually requires the buyer’s solicitor sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries the majority will be willing to do so. They are at liberty invoice a reasonable charge for responding to questions 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 cases it is in excess of £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the charge is technically not due. In reality you have little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to sell the property.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Grangetown - Sample of Queries before buying

You will want to discover as much as you can about the company managing the building as they can either make living at the property much easier or much more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters like the cleanliness of the common parts. Enquire of prospective neighbours what they think of their management. Finally, be sure you understand the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and precisely how they are spending that money. Who are the managing agents? What prohibitions exist in the Grangetown Lease?

Other Topics

Lease Extensions in Grangetown