I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Balham.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a half-yearly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

The sensible thing to do is pay the invoice 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 management companies 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 flat in Balham. Conveyancing and Barnsley Building Society mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing practitioner in Balham who previously acted has now retired.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Balham conveyancing lawyer 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 landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Balham conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Balham 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 make enquires with several firms including non Balham 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 helpful:

• How familiar is the practice with lease extension legislation?
• What volume of lease extensions has the firm conducted in Balham in the last twenty four months?

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Balham from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Balham can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
• Many landlords or managing agents in Balham levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for on or before finding 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 Balham.
• In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Balham leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. Where you fail to have the consents to hand do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in advance.
• Some Balham leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. 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 annual 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.
• If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming process and delays many a Balham conveyancing deal. If a reissued share is needed, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £ 200000 flat in Balham in 8 days. 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 such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Balham?

Balham conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not necessitates the purchaser’s conveyancer sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries most will be willing to do so. They are entitled charge a reasonable charge for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it is above £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality you have no option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

I have given up trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Balham. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a Balham conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Balham residence is First Floor Flat 152a Ramsden Road in June 2009. The net result of the tribunals calculation produced a premium payable of £23,975. This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 56.67 years.

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Balham, conveyancing was carried out 10 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Balham with a long lease are worth £187,000. The ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2096

With 70 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. Do not use this information 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. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.