I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Botany Bay. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Botany Bay - 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.

Due to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Botany Bay. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Botany Bay should include some of the following:

• Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring?
• Are pets allowed in the flat?
• Whether the lease restricts you from renting out the flat, or having a home office for business
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
• What options are open to you if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agent office in Botany Bay where we see a few flat sales put at risk as a result of short leases. I have received conflicting advice from local Botany Bay conveyancing firms. Can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Botany Bay conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Botany Bay conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Botany Bay conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be useful:

• How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?
• If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the sale of our £ 450000 flat in Botany Bay on Thursday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> 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 flat conveyance in Botany Bay?

Botany Bay conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not necessitates the buyer’s lawyer sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions most will be content to assist. They are entitled charge a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it exceeds £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that one has no choice but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to complete the sale of your home.

Having spent months of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Botany Bay. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to decide the price.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Botany Bay flat is 23 Beaconsfield Road in July 2013. The Tribunals decided that the amount payable was £31,203 for the freehold. This case affected 2 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 70.31 years.

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Botany Bay, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2007. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent properties in Botany Bay with a long lease are worth £195,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2080

With 54 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £32,300 and £37,400 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues 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 based on this information without first getting professional advice.