Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Teignmouth. Before I get started I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Teignmouth - 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.

Due to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Teignmouth. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they are sending me a report on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

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

• Details of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder (you), head lessor, landlord
• The physical extent of the demise. This will be the flat itself but may include a loft or basement if appropriate.
• Setting out your legal entitlements in relation to the communal areas in the building.For instance, does the lease permit a right of way over an accessway or staircase?
• Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• I don't know whether the lease allows me to alter or improve anything in the flat - you should know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is required
• The landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of every part of the building

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

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Teignmouth can be reduced where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers lawyers.
• Many landlords or managing agents in Teignmouth charge for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Teignmouth.
• Some Teignmouth leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.
• If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Obtaining a re-issued share certificate is often a time consuming process and delays many a Teignmouth conveyancing deal. If a new share certificate is necessary, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this as soon as possible.
• You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to double-check via your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

We expect to complete the sale of our £ 375000 garden flat in Teignmouth next Tuesday . The freeholder has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Teignmouth?

Teignmouth conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually requires the purchaser’s solicitor sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries the majority will be content to do so. They are entitled invoice a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it is above £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the invoice is technically not due. Reality however dictates that one has little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to complete the sale of your home.

What makes a Teignmouth lease unmortgageable?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Teignmouth. Most leases is drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain sections are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

• Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the building
• A duty to insure the building
• A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
• Service charge per centages that don't add up correctly leaving a shortfall

You will have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Yorkshire Building Society, The Mortgage Works, and Bank of Ireland all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

Teignmouth Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

What prohibitions exist in the Teignmouth Lease? Best to be warned if a new roof is being installed or some other major work is anticipated that will be shared by the leaseholders and will materially increase the the service fees or require a specific payment.