Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Peacehaven:

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When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Peacehaven, you will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner with leasehold experience. Whether your mortgage company is to be Santander, Yorkshire Building Society or NatWest be sure to find a lawyer on their panel. Feel free to use our search tool

Top Five Questions relating to Peacehaven leasehold conveyancing

Due to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Peacehaven. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they are sending me a report on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Peacehaven should include some of the following:

  • Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
  • Are pets allowed in the flat?
  • Does the lease prevent you from renting out the property, or working from home
  • You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
  • An explanation as to the provision in the lease to pay service charges - with regard to both the building, and the more general rights a leaseholder has
  • Changes to the flat (alterations and additions)
  • Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your property and do you know what it means in practice? For a comprehensive list of information to be included in your report on your leasehold property in Peacehaven please enquire of your solicitor in ahead of your conveyancing in Peacehaven

    • I own a leasehold flat in Peacehaven. Conveyancing and Bank of Ireland mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing solicitor in Peacehaven who acted for me is not around.Do I pay?

    The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Peacehaven conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

    I am employed by a reputable estate agency in Peacehaven where we have witnessed a few flat sales put at risk due to short leases. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Peacehaven conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

    Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

    An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

    What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Peacehaven conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

    If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Peacehaven conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggested that you talk with several firms including non Peacehaven conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. Some following of questions might be useful:

    • How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?
  • How many lease extensions has the firm carried out in Peacehaven in the last year?

    • Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Peacehaven with the aim of expediting the sale process?

    • A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Peacehaven can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers conveyancers.
    • Many freeholders or managing agents in Peacehaven levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Peacehaven.
  • If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Peacehaven leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Should you fail to have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor in advance.
  • A minority of Peacehaven leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.
  • You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check by asking your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the lease term is less than 80 years. It is therefore important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

    • I bought a split level flat in Peacehaven, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent flats in Peacehaven with over 90 years remaining are worth £198,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2090

    You have 65 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £14,300 and £16,400 as well as professional fees.

    The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Peacehaven