I am acquiring a house mortgage free in Bishops Stortford. I have lived for the last dozen years in Bishops Stortford. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. As I have knowledge of the road and vicinity intimately should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a home loan, then the vast majority of the Bishops Stortford conveyancing searches are optional. Your solicitor will try and sway you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches completed, but she has a professional duty to take that path of encouragement . Do bear in mind; if you are intend to dispose of the house at a future date, it may be of relevance to your prospective buyer what the searches determine. On occasion premises with day to day issues can still show up negative search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Bishops Stortford should be able to give you some sensible advice here.

It is is a decade since I bought my house in Bishops Stortford. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I can't find my title documents. Will this cause complications?

You need not be too concerned. First there is a chance that the deeds will be retained by the mortgage company or they may still be with the lawyers who handled your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Bishops Stortford involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

How does conveyancing in Bishops Stortford differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Bishops Stortford come to us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because developers in Bishops Stortford typically purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Bishops Stortford or who has acted in the same development.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Bishops Stortford is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Bishops Stortford are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Bishops Stortford you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Bishops Stortford may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Bishops Stortford conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Bishops Stortford conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with two or three firms including non Bishops Stortford conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be helpful:

What volume of lease extensions has the firm conducted in Bishops Stortford in the last twenty four months? If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?

I am the registered owner of a 1 bedroom flat in Bishops Stortford, conveyancing was carried out 7 years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Bishops Stortford with over 90 years remaining are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2095

With only 71 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.