Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Enfield Town

Get a Quote

Whether you are buying or selling leasehold flat in Enfield Town, our panel of leasehold conveyancing experts will help you move with as little stress as possible. Find a Enfield Town conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Top Five Questions relating to Enfield Town leasehold conveyancing

I am intending to rent out my leasehold flat in Enfield Town. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

Even though your last Enfield Town conveyancing solicitor is no longer available you can check your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the property. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. There may be a precondition that you are obliged to seek consent via your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior consent. Such consent should not be unreasonably turned down. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement apartment in Enfield Town.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay 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.

I work for a reputable estate agency in Enfield Town where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Enfield Town conveyancing solicitors. Please can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can initiate the lease extension process 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 start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to wait 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 extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 purchaser.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Enfield Town with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Enfield Town can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
  • Many landlords or managing agents in Enfield Town charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. 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 receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Enfield Town.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Enfield Town leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Where you dont have the approvals to hand do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor in the first instance.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unsettled.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share certificate. Arranging a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming process and slows down many a Enfield Town home move. Where a reissued share certificate is required, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this as soon as possible.

    • Completion in due on our sale of a £400000 flat in Enfield Town in seven days. The freeholder has quoted £408 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Enfield Town?

    Enfield Town conveyancing on leasehold flats usually requires the buyer’s conveyancer sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries most will be content to assist. They may levy a reasonable charge for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some transactions it is above £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration charges, otherwise the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that one has no option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    I am the leaseholder of a two-bedroom flat in Enfield Town. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the premium payable for a lease extension?

    Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Enfield Town conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Lease Extension case for a Enfield Town property is First Floor Flat 109 Lyndhurst Road in May 2010. Following a vesting order by Edmonton County Court on 29th October 2009 the Tribunal decided on a figure of £5,012 for a lease extension. This case was in relation to 1 flat. The the number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 81.79 years.