Having sold my house in Linton last December yet the purchaser is whats apping every few hours complaining that her lawyer needs to hear from mysolicitor. What should my lawyer have done following completion?

After completion of your house sale your solicitor is duty bound to forward the transfer deeds and all of the paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your lawyer should also confirm that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been repaid to the buyers solicitors. There are no post completion steps specific conveyancing in Linton.

Can you help - my lawyer advises that lack of planning permission insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Linton?

The right level of lack of planning permission indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Birmingham Midshires and Skipton Building Society. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

We had chosen solicitors locally in Linton on the Co-operative solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a further sum for handling the Co-operative mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Co-operative?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer may levy a fee for this. The fee is not set by Co-operative but by your Linton lawyer. Numerous firms on the Co-operative panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Bank of Ireland are being pedantic. The Linton solicitor who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Bank of Ireland are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Bank of Ireland have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Bank of Ireland have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Bank of Ireland may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

Various internet forums that I have frequented warn that are the number one cause of obstruction in Linton house deals. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the common causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Linton.

We're first time buyers - had an offer accepted, yet the agent informed us that the seller will only move forward if we use the agent's preferred lawyers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a local solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Linton

We suspect that the owner is unaware of this requirement. If they require ‘a quick sale', turning down a motivated buyer is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Avoid the agents and go straight to the sellers and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to go, with finances arranged © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you intend to use your own,trusted Linton conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will provide the estate agent a referral fee or hit his conveyancing figures set by senior management.

Helen (my wife) and I may need to rent out our Linton ground floor flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We used a Linton conveyancing practice in 2003 but they have closed and we did not think at the time get any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Even though your previous Linton conveyancing solicitor is not available you can check your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the apartment. The accepted inference is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you need to seek consent via your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without prior permission. The consent should not be unreasonably turned down. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord for their consent.

Linton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

Are there any major works on the horizon that could increase the maintenance charges? It would be wise to discover as much as you can about the company managing the block as they will either make living at the property much easier or uncomfortable. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical issues like the cleanliness of the communal areas. Don't be shy to ask prospective neighbours what they think of their service. In conclusion, be sure you discover the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and specifically how they are spending that money. You should be aware that where the lease has no more than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the flat. Check with your lender that they are content with the length of the lease. A short lease means that you will almost definitely 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 will be be obliged to have been the owner of the residence for a couple of years in order to be eligible to extend the lease.