Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Northumberland Heath. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Northumberland Heath - 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.

My husband and I may need to let out our Northumberland Heath ground floor flat for a while due to a new job. We used a Northumberland Heath conveyancing firm in 2003 but they have closed and we did not think at the time get any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Even though your previous Northumberland Heath conveyancing lawyer is not available you can check your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The rule is that if the deeds are silent, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you must seek consent from your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet in the absence of prior consent. The consent is not allowed to be unreasonably withheld. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

Due to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Northumberland Heath. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

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

• The physical extent of the demise. This will be the property itself but might incorporate a loft or cellar if applicable.
• Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring?
• Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property?
• You must be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this is subject to change
• Repair and maintenance of the flat
• Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice?

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement flat in Northumberland Heath.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a yearly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear 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 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Northumberland Heath with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Northumberland Heath can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
• Some Northumberland Heath leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.
• If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. 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 buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic rather than ongoing.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Organising a duplicate share certificate is often a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Northumberland Heath conveyancing deal. If a reissued share is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
• You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to verify this via your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is below 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

I am the leaseholder of a two-bedroom flat in Northumberland Heath. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the amount due for the purchase of the freehold?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Northumberland Heath conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Northumberland Heath property is Various @ Colombus Square in January 2012. the Tribunal calculated the premiums to be paid for new leases for each of the flats in Mariners Walk to be £3822 and the premium to be paid for the new lease of 2 Knights Court to be £4439. This case affected 13 flats. The unexpired term was 76 years.

Northumberland Heath Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying

Are there any major works on the horizon that will likely increase the maintenance fees? What prohibitions exist in the Northumberland Heath Lease?