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Solicitors "Enquiries" - what to look out for/ask about?
gcpbuyer
Posts: 43 Forumite
I'm at the stage where my solicitor is getting together the enquiries for a flat purchase (leasehold).
Is there anything in particular I should ask them to query?
For example:
Thanks
Is there anything in particular I should ask them to query?
For example:
- I want to make sure that the ground rent is the same as what the estate agents have told me a few months back.
- I want to make sure that the service charge is roughly the same (I know this can vary)
Thanks
0
Comments
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Those are both standard enquiries. Your solicitor will already know to ask.0
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Your solicitor should routinely ask for information about ground rent and service charge history - but there's no harm in mentioning it.
Similarly, your solicitor should routinely ask about any planned work on the building - which you will need to contribute towards.
Perhaps the most important info is the length of the lease, but again your solicitor would routinely give you that info.
Are you bothered about things like keeping pets, subletting the flat, making alterations to the flat, replacing carpets with laminate flooring, etc? The lease will state what you can and can't do - so you can read that, and/or you can explicitly ask your solicitor about anything that's really important to you.
If the existing owner has breached any terms of the lease - e.g. by removing carpets, making alterations etc - you need to decide how to deal with that.0 -
Lots of leases prevent laminate/wooden flooring. Lots of people fit laminate/wooden flooring. Lots of people in the flat downstairs suffer accordingly.
Ask your solicitor, and if the lease does not prevent it, bear in mind that the person upstairs may decide to rip out the carpets and make your life hell.
No reliance should be placed on the above! Absolutely none, do you hear?0 -
Your solicitor should look Into the management company - I sold a flat many years ago before it got nasty with the management company but the writing was in the wall. Many flat owners refusing to pay the service charge because the service was so poor. Any problems like that should be flagged0
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