Finally, a mortgage offer from Santander for the refinancing of my 4 room apartment is to be issued imminently. Can you propose a low cost conveyancing practitioner in Lincoln?

You have come to the wrong place to search for a cheap conveyancing solicitors in Lincoln. Our intention is to offer excellent value conveyancing but we do not aim to work with the cheapest lawyers. Do not be swayed by brokers enticing you with ninety nine pound conveyancing in Lincoln. In your best case scenario, in going for low cost conveyancing, you will end up with what you pay for and at worst you will end up invoiced for extras and still not get the service you were looking for.

My wife and I have a 4 bedroom Edwardian property in Lincoln. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Skipton Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Lincoln and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.

How does conveyancing in Lincoln differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Lincoln approach us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because builders in Lincoln usually acquire the real estate, 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 property lawyers 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 used to new build conveyancing in Lincoln or who has acted in the same development.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my 2 bed apartment in Lincoln. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have just received a quarterly service charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the service charge as normal given that all rents and service invoices will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Lincoln Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Many Lincoln leasehold apartments will incur a service charge for maintenance of the building levied on behalf of the landlord. Where you purchase the property you will have to meet this liability, normally quarterly throughout the year. This could vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent for you to pay annual, this is usually not a large sum, say around £25-£75 but you should to enquire it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds. Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the leaseholders? Best to be warned if changing the roof or some other major work is anticipated that will be shared by the tenants and may well dramatically increase the the service charges or result in a one off payment.

Me and my wife are purchasing a leasehold flat in Lincoln. Conveyancing quotes are averaging around £two thousand. Is that in the right ballpark?

The average cost last year for conveyancing in Lincoln was just under one thousand five hundred pounds excluding Land Tax and HMLR fees.