Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Uxbridge:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Uxbridge, you will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Santander, Yorkshire Building Society or Bradford & Bingley be sure to find a lawyer on their panel. Find a Uxbridge conveyancing lawyer with our search tool

Frequently asked questions relating to Uxbridge leasehold conveyancing

There are only Seventy years unexpired on my lease in Uxbridge. I need to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent should be useful to conduct investigations and prepare a report to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Uxbridge.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Uxbridge. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Uxbridge are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Uxbridge in which case you should be shopping around for a Uxbridge conveyancing solicitor and check that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your lawyer will appraise you on the various issues.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two flats in Uxbridge which have about fifty years left on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold flat in Uxbridge is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the value of the property. For most buyers and banks, leases with under eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Uxbridge conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Uxbridge conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Uxbridge conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you talk with several firms including non Uxbridge conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions could be useful:

  • How many lease extensions have they completed in Uxbridge in the last year?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Uxbridge who can give a testimonial?

    • Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Uxbridge with the purpose of speeding up the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Uxbridge can be avoided where you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers.
    • The majority freeholders or Management Companies in Uxbridge levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Uxbridge.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Uxbridge leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such changes. If you fail to have the approvals to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer first.
  • If you have had 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 concerned about purchasing a property where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to 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 ahead of 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 better to present the dispute as over as opposed to ongoing.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming formality and delays many a Uxbridge conveyancing transaction. Where a new share certificate is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this as soon as possible.

    • My wife and I have hit a brick wall in trying to purchase the freehold in Uxbridge. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

    Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a Uxbridge conveyancing firm who can help.

    An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Uxbridge premises is 164 Nestles Avenue in October 2013. The tribunal agreed with the proposed price of £20,158 for the freehold and determined that that sum is the amount to be paid into court This case was in relation to 2 flats. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 69 years.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Uxbridge