What will a local search inform me about the house we're purchasing in Oakham?

Oakham conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company for instance Searchflow The local search is essential in every Oakham conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any nasty once you have moved into your property. The search will supply data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic sections.

It has been four months following my purchase conveyancing in Oakham concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

My uncle has suggested that I use his conveyancing solicitors in Oakham. Should I use them?

There are no two ways about it the best way to choose a conveyancing lawyer is to get recommendations from friends or relatives who have actually previously instructed the conveyancer you're considering.

Last July I purchased a leasehold flat in Oakham. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Oakham - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

Where a Oakham lease has fewer than 80 years it will impact the value of the apartment. Check with your mortgage company that they are happy with the length of the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the residence for two years before you are legally able to extend the lease. Is anyone aware of any major works anticipated that will likely add a premium to the service costs? The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the tenants benefit from control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently employed where it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.

We have just had an offer accepted on our first home in Oakham, and are about to get solicitors appointed. We have utilised the various comparison based websites and the fee estimates are from all across the the UK. Is it necessary to have a Oakham property lawyer local to our prospective property? We are content to do all the communicating electronically, but I guess at some point we may need to attend the solicitor's office to sign documents?

On the whole there is no need to physically visit the office of your lawyer, they can send any relevant contracts to you, which you can sign and send back. Many home movers prefer to instruct a locally based solicitor, but it is not essential for conveyancing in Oakham.