Quality lawyers for Leasehold Conveyancing in South Hackney

Get a Quote

Looking for a solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in South Hackney on your lender’s panel? Make use of our search tool to find quality local South Hackney conveyancing practitioners or national solicitors on your lender’s panel .

Top Five Questions relating to South Hackney leasehold conveyancing

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in South Hackney. Before diving in I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in South Hackney - 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.

I only have 72 years remaining on my flat in South Hackney. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What are my options?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, 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 Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to track down the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent should be useful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering South Hackney.

I own a leasehold house in South Hackney. Conveyancing and National Westminster Bank mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in South Hackney who previously acted has now retired.Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a South Hackney conveyancing practitioner 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.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in South Hackney with the intention of expediting the sale process?

  • Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in South Hackney can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in South Hackney state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. Where you dont have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance.
  • A minority of South Hackney leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is 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 have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
  • If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy formality and delays many a South Hackney home move. If a duplicate share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

    • All being well we will complete the sale of our £325000 apartment in South Hackney on Friday in a week. The management company has quoted £300 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in South Hackney?

    South Hackney conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not necessitates the buyer’s solicitor submitting enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries most will be willing to assist. They are entitled charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it is above £800. The administration charge demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the invoice is technically not due. In reality you have little option but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

    I have given up trying to purchase the freehold in South Hackney. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

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

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a South Hackney property is 150 Amhurst Road in December 2013. The tribunal concluded that the premium to be paid by the applicant for the enfranchisement of the subject property was £43,500. This case related to 4 flats. The the unexpired residue of the current lease was 90 (or thereabouts).