Recently contacted my conveyancing solicitor in Church End who acted for me 18 months ago requesting a conveyancing estimate based on an identical type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold residence and a freehold premises) of almost identical values with a mortgage from Aldermore. I am now being quoted double. Better the devil I know or do I try and find a cheaper online property lawyer?

The costs illustration is fractionally on the steep side. If you are willing to spend time contrasting prices you might decrease the fees slightly by say £100 plus VAT. That being said, if you were content with the service the firm provided you mightcome to rue choosing an an unknown solicitor. If is important to enquire that the firm can represent Aldermore. You can utilise our search tool to choose a Church End conveyancing firm on the Aldermore member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Church End.

My grandmother passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Church End. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £4500. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Virgin Money, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

Given you plan to re-mortgage then Virgin Money will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Virgin Money conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Virgin Money mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

Should my conveyancer be raising questions regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Church End.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers dealing with homes in Church End. There are those who buy a house in Church End, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that may be undertaken by the purchaser or by their solicitors which can figure out the risks in Church End. The standard information supplied to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a usual inquiry of the seller to determine if the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past and is not disclosed by the vendor, then a buyer may commence a claim for damages resulting from an misleading answer. The purchaser’s lawyers should also order an environmental report. This should indicate whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be conducted.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Church End I like with open areas and station nearby, however it only has 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Church End in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Church End. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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).

Despite our best efforts, we have been unsuccessful in trying to purchase the freehold in Church End. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Church End conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Church End property is Ground Floor 110 Station Road in June 2013. The Tribunal found that the premium payable for a lease extension should be £31,665. This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term was 56.65 years.