Having sold my house in Evesham last December yet the purchaser is SMS messaging me to moan that her lawyer needs to hear from mine. What should have happened following completion?

Following your disposal your lawyer is duty bound to send the transfer deeds and all supplemental paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your solicitor must also send confirmation that the mortgage has been repaid to the purchasers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion tasks just for conveyancing in Evesham.

We expect to receive a AIP from Santander this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Santander recommend any Evesham solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Evesham solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Santander conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Santander through the process.

I'm at the point of viewing flats in Evesham and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it wise to have my conveyancing practitioner on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Principality.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Principality, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Principality conveyancing panel.

Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Evesham. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Evesham. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Evesham

Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one round the corner in Evesham I like with a park and station nearby, however it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Evesham in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be an issue. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Evesham. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

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. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part 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).

Evesham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? Best to be warned if window replacement or some other significant cost is pending to be shared between the tenants and may well dramatically impact the level of the service fees or result in a one time payment. The best form of lease arrangement is if the freehold reversion is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the lessees have being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is often employed if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.