I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Southall. Before diving in I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Southall - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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 wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Southall. Conveyancing and Platform Home Loans Ltd mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing practitioner in Southall who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

First contact HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Southall conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. 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.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two flats in Southall which have about forty five years left on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Southall. The lease is a right to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the value of the lease deteriorate and results in it becoming more costly to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We advise that you get professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena

Last month I purchased a leasehold property in Southall. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Southall with the intention of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Southall can be avoided where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
• Many landlords or managing agents in Southall charge for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Southall.
• Some Southall leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
• If there is a history of conflict with your landlord 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 warry about purchasing a flat where a dispute is unsettled. You will have to accept that you will have to pay 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 prior to 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 are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Southall home move. Where a duplicate share certificate is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without success. Can one apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Southall conveyancing firm to assist?

Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Southall conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Southall flat is 33 Barbican Road in January 2013. The Tribunals calculation of the lease extension premium payable was £17,592. This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 55.12 years.

I acquired a 1 bedroom flat in Southall, conveyancing having been completed 1997. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent properties in Southall with over 90 years remaining are worth £203,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2100

With just 74 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £12,400 and £14,200 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.