Have just purchased a probate house at auction in Lees. Conveyancing is required. What is next?

Given that you are now exchanged you must appoint a conveyancing lawyer soon as you now have a tight deadline in which to complete the transaction. Every auction property should have an associated legal set of papers. This will include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. In the case of leasehold premises the auction papers should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork specific to a leasehold property. You should hand this to the solicitor instructed by you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that you have funds in order to complete on the on the contractual date .

My wife and I buying a victorian detached house in Lees. The intention is to an extension at the rear at the property.Will legal investigations on the property involve enquiries to determine if these works are prohibited?

Your property lawyer will check the deeds as conveyancing in Lees can sometimes identify restrictions in the title documents which prevent categories of works or necessitated the permission of another owner. Certain additions call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be sensible to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

Is there a list of Clydesdale panel conveyancers in Lees on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

No. There is no such facility on the CML or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings open the public online. If you are in need of a Lees conveyancer on the Clydesdale please make the most of our facility.

I am purchasing my first flat in Lees benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to move on the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The sale representative advised me not to tell my lawyer about this deal as it would jeopardize my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and found one near me in Lees I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Lees suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan that many years will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

My husband and I are new to the buying process - had an offer accepted, but the selling agent has warned us that the vendor will only proceed if we instruct their preferred lawyers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a local conveyancer used to conveyancing in Lees

We suspect that the owner is unaware of this requirement. If they want ‘a quick sale', alienating a genuine purchaser is counter productive. Bypass the agents and go straight to the sellers and make the point that (a)you are serious purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you will continue to appoint your preferred Lees conveyancing solicitors - rather thanthose that will give their negotiator at the agency a referral fee or hit his conveyancing targets demanded by corporate headquarters.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Lees from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Lees can be avoided where you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
The majority of freeholders or Management Companies in Lees charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Lees. You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to verify this by asking your solicitors. A buyer’s lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is below 75 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over rather than ongoing. A minority of Lees leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.

I own a 2 bed flat in Lees, conveyancing was carried out July 2008. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding flats in Lees with an extended lease are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2086

With only 61 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £19,000 and £22,000 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.