Fixed-fee leasehold conveyancing in Wareham:

Get a Quote

Need to find a solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Wareham on your lender’s panel? Make use of our search tool to find leading local Wareham conveyancing lawyers or nationwide solicitors on your lender’s panel .

Top Five Questions relating to Wareham leasehold conveyancing

I have just started marketing my garden apartment in Wareham.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have just had a yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is discharge 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.

I own a leasehold flat in Wareham. Conveyancing and The Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing solicitor in Wareham who acted for me is not around.Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a Wareham conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Last month I purchased a leasehold house in Wareham. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

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

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Wareham conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Wareham conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. Some following of questions might be helpful:

  • If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
  • What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing?

    • Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Wareham with the intention of expediting the sale process?

    • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Wareham can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
    • Many freeholders or Management Companies in Wareham levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Wareham.
  • A minority of Wareham 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 obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
  • If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. 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 prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as over as opposed to unsettled.
  • If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share certificate. Organising a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming formality and frustrates many a Wareham home move. If a reissued share is necessary, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

    • Wareham Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

      How is the lease structured? What is the name of the managing agents? Make sure you discover if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example it is reasonably common in Wareham leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Wareham. If you like the propertyin Wareham but your cat is not allowed to live with you then you will be faced hard decision.

    Other Topics

    Lease Extensions in Wareham