Why do I have to pay up front for my conveyancing in Lightwater?

If you are buying a property in Lightwater your solicitor will request that you put them with funds to cover the search fees. Ordinarily this is called for to cover the fees of the Local Authority Search. If any down payment is payable against the purchase price then this should be asked for immediately in advance of exchange of contracts. Any further balance that is due will be payable a few days ahead of the day of completion.

I used Arc property Solicitors several years past for my conveyancing in Lightwater. I now require my file however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Lightwater of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am buying a new build house in Lightwater with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about the side-deal as it could jeopardize my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Lightwater is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Lightwater are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Lightwater you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Lightwater may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Lightwater. Conveyancing and Britannia mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in Lightwater who previously acted has now retired. What should I do?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Lightwater conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Lightwater Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before buying

Please inform me if there are any major works on the horizon that will increase the service fees? Its a good idea to find out as much as you can about the managing agents as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to daily matters such as the tidiness of the common parts. You should not be afraid to ask other tenants if they are happy with them. On a final note, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the relevant party and precisely what it includes. How many years remain on the lease?