Just been in touch with my conveyancing lawyer in Martlesham Heath who completed the legal work two years ago asking for a conveyancing quote based on an identical type of house move (a leasehold residence and a freehold premises) of similar values with a home loan from Lloyds TSB Bank. I am now being charged twice the amount. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for an alternative firm of conveyancing solicitor?

The quote is fractionally on the high side. If you shop around you might get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by perhaps £125. On the other hand, assuming were pleased with the legal work the firm offered you maylive to rue choosing an an untested lawyer. If is important to ensure that the solicitor can also act for Lloyds TSB Bank. Do use our search tool to get a quote a Martlesham Heath conveyancing firm on the Lloyds TSB Bank approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Martlesham Heath.

The owners of the home we are hoping to buy are using a conveyancing solicitor in Martlesham Heath who has recommended a exclusivity contract with a non-refundable deposit 10k. Are such contracts the norm for Martlesham Heath conveyancing transactions?

There are a couple of primary concerns with entering into any lock out agreement (also known as a shut-out contract) is that it can distract from moving forward with the conveyancing work, so unless it requires little or no negotiation then it could transpire to be unhelpful. It is not particularly popular by Martlesham Heath conveyancing lawyers as a result. A supplemental issue is the extent of the remedies available - an aggrieved purchaser is extremely unlikely to win an injunction to prevent the seller completing the sale to a third party, so the only remedy available under the agreement will be the reimbursement of wasted costs and, in limited scenarios, the additional payment of damages.

My grandfather passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Martlesham Heath. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £8000. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Barclays, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

If you intend to re-mortgage then Barclays will require that you use a conveyancer on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Barclays conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Barclays mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Martlesham Heath. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Martlesham Heath

Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Martlesham Heath from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Martlesham Heath can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers’ solicitors.
If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge 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 particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing. If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s consent? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Martlesham Heath state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such works. Should you fail to have the paperwork to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance. A minority of Martlesham Heath leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are 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 buyers or their lawyers.

I bought a garden flat in Martlesham Heath, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent properties in Martlesham Heath with an extended lease are worth £190,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 charged once a year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2085

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 legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.