AssumingI was to acquire a freehold housein Elmers End mortgage fee and have no survey and no conveyancing searches how much could I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Elmers End?

The sole saving you would make on is the Elmers End conveyancing searches. A conveyancing practitioner is required to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, communicating with the vendors conveyancing practitioner, SDLT submission, register the ownership etc. A marginal saving might be made by not having to register a mortgage however it won't be significant.

I own a freehold property in Elmers End yet charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Elmers End and has limited impact for conveyancing in Elmers End but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges date back hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 is to be extinguished.

Will our solicitor be making enquiries concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Elmers End.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers carrying out conveyancing in Elmers End. Plenty of people will purchase a house in Elmers End, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, however there are a number of searches that may be undertaken by the buyer or by their conveyancers which will figure out the risks in Elmers End. The conventional set of property information forms supplied to a buyer’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a standard inquiry of the seller to discover whether the premises has suffered from flooding. If the property has been flooded in past which is not notified by the seller, then a buyer could issue a claim for damages as a result of such an incorrect reply. The buyer’s solicitors should also commission an environmental search. This should disclose whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations will need to be made.

How does conveyancing in Elmers End differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Elmers End approach us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because new home sellers in Elmers End tend to purchase the site, 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 conveyancers 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Elmers End or who has acted in the same development.

We're FTB’s - had an offer accepted, yet the estate agent informed us that the vendor will only issue a contract if we use their recommended conveyancers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a local conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Elmers End

It is unlikely the sellers are driving this. Should the vendor require ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated buyer is counter productive. Bypass the agents and go straight to the sellers and make the point that (a)you are motivated purchasers (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you intend to instruct your preferred Elmers End conveyancing solicitors - rather thanthe ones that will give their estate agent a kickback or achieve conveyancing thresholds pre-set by senior management.