Guaranteed fixed fees for Leasehold Conveyancing in Isle of Dogs

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Isle of Dogs, you will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Santander, Yorkshire Building Society or Nationwide make sure you choose a lawyer on their panel. Find a Isle of Dogs conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Top Five Questions relating to Isle of Dogs leasehold conveyancing

I only have 62 years unexpired on my lease in Isle of Dogs. I now wish to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the freeholder. For most situations an enquiry agent may be useful to carry out a search and to produce a report to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Isle of Dogs.

I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed apartment in Isle of Dogs.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?

It best that you 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 house in Isle of Dogs. Conveyancing and Bank of Ireland mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Isle of Dogs who previously acted has long since retired.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Isle of Dogs conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Isle of Dogs with the purpose of speeding up the sale process?

  • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Isle of Dogs can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers conveyancers.
  • In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Isle of Dogs leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. Where you fail to have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer before hand.
  • Some Isle of Dogs 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 obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the yearly 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 solicitors.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle 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 are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to ongoing.
  • If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share certificate. Obtaining a new share certificate can be a lengthy formality and delays many a Isle of Dogs conveyancing deal. If a new share is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.

    • We expect to complete the disposal of our £450000 maisonette in Isle of Dogs next week. The landlords agents has quoted £348 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Isle of Dogs?

    Isle of Dogs conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually necessitates the purchaser’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries the majority will be willing to assist. They are entitled invoice a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some transactions it is above £800. The management information fee invoiced by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, without which the charge is not strictly payable. In reality you have little choice but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to complete the sale of your home.

    I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal decide on such matters? Can you recommend a Isle of Dogs conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?

    Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Isle of Dogs conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Isle of Dogs property is 12, 14 & 16 Hull Close in May 2010. the Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the acquisition of the freehold to the subject premises was the sum of £18,300 This case affected 3 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 101.61 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Isle of Dogs