I am selling our property in Scunthorpe and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Scunthorpe lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a national conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Scunthorpe. Having lived in Scunthorpe for six years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to obtain clarification that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Scunthorpe I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Scunthorpe for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

Taking into account that I am about to spend 450k on a house in Scunthorpe I would like to talk to a solicitor regarding theconveyancing in advance of instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?

Absolutely - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the conveyancer who will be carrying out your property ownership legalities in Scunthorpe.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important individual, not a file reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are provided with for your conveyancing in Scunthorpe should be the figure that you end up paying.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Scunthorpe. Conveyancing and Barnsley Building Society mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Scunthorpe who previously acted has long since retired. Do I pay?

First contact HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Scunthorpe conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Scunthorpe Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

In the main the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although some managing agents in Scunthorpe obliged leaseholders to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger works. If a Scunthorpe lease has fewer than 80 years it will affect the salability of the apartment. Check with your bank that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely need a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the property for two years before you are eligible to exercise a lease extension. The prefered form of lease arrangement is if the freehold reversion is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the leaseholders have being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is usually retained if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves.

How does one remove a deceased person's details from the title register for a house in Scunthorpe?

Where a Scunthorpe property is jointly owned and one of the owners passes away, the name will not automatically be removed from the title deeds. You are not required to remove their name as in the event of a disposal your lawyer would simply be required to supply proof why the joint proprietor is not a party to the contract, such as a grant of probate.

With a view to making the sale conveyancing smoother for the sale of the property you may arrange to have the deceased name erased from the title by applying to HM Land Registry with proof of the death. There is no land registry fee payable.