Leasehold Conveyancing in Long Eaton - Get a Quote from the leasehold experts approved by your lender

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Frequently asked questions relating to Long Eaton leasehold conveyancing

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Long Eaton. Before diving in I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Long Eaton - 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.

There are only 72 years left on my flat in Long Eaton. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to locate the landlord. On the whole an enquiry agent may be useful to try and locate and prepare a report to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Long Eaton.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement flat in Long Eaton.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just received a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

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 Long Eaton from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

  • A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Long Eaton can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers the minute 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.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Long Eaton state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. If you dont have the consents in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your conveyancer before hand.
  • Some Long Eaton leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, 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 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 purchasers or their lawyers.
  • If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where a dispute is ongoing. You may need to swallow your pride and 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 will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Obtaining a new share certificate is often a lengthy process and frustrates many a Long Eaton home move. If a duplicate share is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later.

    • We expect to complete the sale of our £375000 garden flat in Long Eaton on Tuesday in a week. The managing agents has quoted £384 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Long Eaton?

    Long Eaton conveyancing on leasehold flats more often than not necessitates the buyer’s solicitor submitting questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer these enquiries the majority will be content to do so. They may levy a reasonable administration fee for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some situations it exceeds £800. The management information fee invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the invoice is technically not due. In reality you have little option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to sell the property.

    Long Eaton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask before buying

      In the main the cost for major works tend not to be built into the service charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Long Eaton obliged leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific intention of establishing a fund for larger repairs or maintenance. Please note if it is no more than 80 years it will affect the marketability of the apartment. Check with your bank that they are happy with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the premises for a couple of years in order to be eligible to extend the lease. The answer will be helpful as a) areas could cause problems for the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to have all the details

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Long Eaton