The Canford Heath conveyancing firm handling our Canford Heath conveyancing has identified an inconsistency between the surveyor’s assumptions in the valuation report and what is in the title deeds. My lawyer informs me that he is obliged to ensure that the lender is OK with this discrepancy and is still content to lend. Is my lawyer’s course or action legitimate?

Your conveyancing practitioner must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

We note that you have a post code search directory identifying firms on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I instruct them for our conveyancing in Canford Heath?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Canford Heath.

I have a decision in principle. The bank mentioned the home loan came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to instruct their panel conveyancer as I would prefer to use a Canford Heath based conveyancing firm?

You should check but the chances are that give you one of their panel solicitors where you take up the "fee-free" deal. Call the bank and determine if they allow a monetary alternative. Some lenders have previously offered a £250 cashback as a further option in which case that money can go towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor in Canford Heath.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The lawyers who handled the conveyancing in Canford Heath 5 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?

Assuming you have a registered title the details of your proprietorship will be recorded by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is easy to carry out a search at the Land Registry, find your property and obtain up to date copies of the property title for a small fee. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for £20 inclusive of VAT.

What are the frequently found problems that you witness in leases for Canford Heath properties?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Canford Heath. All leases are drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain provisions are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

You will encounter 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. National Westminster Bank, Bank of Scotland, and Clydesdale all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, forcing the buyer to withdraw.

Canford Heath Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

Its a good idea to discover as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they can either make life much simpler or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to practical issues such as the cleanliness of the communal areas. Enquire of other tenants what they think of them. Finally, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and precisely how they are spending the funds. It is important to be aware if redecorating or some other major work is due in the near future to be shared between the leasehold owners and may well dramatically increase the the service charges or require a specific payment. The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the lessees have control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently retained if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.