Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Manchester:

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While any conveyancing solicitor can theoretically deal with your leasehold conveyancing in Manchester, your mortgage provider may not be willing to work with them if the firm are not on their list of approved solicitors for conveyancing

Examples of recent questions relating to leasehold conveyancing in Manchester

Jane (my partner) and I may need to rent out our Manchester 1st floor flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We used a Manchester conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

The lease governs relations between the freeholder and you the flat owner; specifically, it will set out if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. The majority of leases in Manchester do not contain subletting altogether – such a clause would undoubtedly devalue the property. In most cases there is simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a copy of the tenancy agreement.

There are only Sixty One years remaining on my lease in Manchester. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What are my options?

On the basis that 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 for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the lessor. On the whole a specialist may be useful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can 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 investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Manchester.

Planning to exchange soon on a leasehold property in Manchester. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Manchester should include some of the following:

  • The length of the lease term You should be advised as what happens when the lease ends, and informed of the importance of the 80 year mark
  • Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, freeholder
  • The total extent of the premises. This will be the flat itself but may include a loft or cellar if applicable.
  • Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring?
  • Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
  • Responsibility for repairing the window frames
  • What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Manchester please enquire of your conveyancer in advance of your conveyancing in Manchester

    • I’m about to sell my garden flat in Manchester.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have just received a yearly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

    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 unless 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.

    What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Manchester conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

    When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Manchester conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you talk with two or three firms including non Manchester conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions could be helpful:

    • If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
  • Can they put you in touch with client in Manchester who can give a testimonial?

    • Manchester Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

      If a Manchester lease has no more than eighty years it will affect the marketability of the flat. Check with your bank that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely need a lease extension at some point and it is worth discovering how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have owned the premises for 24 months before you are entitled to extend the lease. What is the name of the managing agents? Be sure to discover if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example it is very common in Manchester leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Manchester. If you like the apartmentin Manchester but your cat can’t make the move with you then you will be faced difficult compromise.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Manchester