I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Hassocks for our house move. Our broker informed us that our bank Skipton Building Society won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unfair competition?

A mortgage company may direct that an approved conveyancer act for it. Borrowers are liable to meet the cost of this. Try using our database to select a solicitor to conduct conveyancing in Hassocks on the Skipton Building Society approved list of solicitors.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Hassocks?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Hassocks. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one close by in Hassocks I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Hassocks suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of maisonettes in Hassocks which have approximately forty five years unexpired on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in Hassocks is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the marketability of the property. The majority of purchasers and banks, leases with under 75 years become less and less marketable. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Hassocks conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Hassocks - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that could increase the maintenance fees? Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? Where a Hassocks lease has fewer than eighty years it will impact the value of the flat. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will probably have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you would be required to have owned the premises for a couple of years in order to be entitled to exercise a lease extension.

My aunt completed her conveyancing in Hassocks ten years ago. She has got married, divorced and in recent months got married again. She intends to market the house in a couple of months. I believe she will simply be need to provide a copy of the marriage papers to the property lawyer but she is concerned it could hold up the house move. Is it worth updating the title documents for the house?

You are not required to update the title for the property on the basis that you have the evidence required to demonstrate how the name change resulted.

The purchaser’s conveyancer will review the registered details and request evidence to establish the name change e.g. marriage certificates.