I am assisting my niece sell her flat in South Woodham Ferrers. Will the solicitor commission an energy performance certificate or it is for the owner to see to?

After the abolition of Home Packs, EPC’s remained a compulsory component of selling a house. An energy assessment must be to hand before the property is marketed. This is not something that lawyers ordinarily organise. Where you are instructing a South Woodham Ferrers conveyancing solicitor they might be able to arrange energy performance certificates given their contacts with long established South Woodham Ferrers accredited person

Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Coventry BS. South Woodham Ferrers conveyancing solicitors have been appointed. How long does it take for Coventry BS to send the offer to the conveyancer?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Coventry BS done the valuation? Have you advised Coventry BS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a South Woodham Ferrers property lawyer having checked that they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your South Woodham Ferrers postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in South Woodham Ferrers.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. South Woodham Ferrers is the location of the property. Can you offer any opinion?

Flying freeholds in South Woodham Ferrers are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside South Woodham Ferrers you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in South Woodham Ferrers may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

As co-executor for the will of my aunt I am disposing of a property in Newport but live in South Woodham Ferrers. My solicitor (approximately 235 kilometers from meneeds me to sign a statutory declaration before completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in South Woodham Ferrers to witness and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you should not be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are South Woodham Ferrers based

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to be perfect, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently found out that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in South Woodham Ferrers. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in South Woodham Ferrers are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in South Woodham Ferrers in which case you should be looking for a South Woodham Ferrers conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.

I inherited a split level flat in South Woodham Ferrers, conveyancing was carried out June 2002. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in South Woodham Ferrers with a long lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 yearly. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2079

With only 54 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

Why do South Woodham Ferrers conveyancing charges differ for leasehold and freehold properties?

Inevitably there is more work required in leasehold conveyancing. South Woodham Ferrers has many leasehold properties. There is more hours involved in the purchase: for example, the lease and leasehold information (including current service charge, ground rent and buildings insurance details) obtained from the freeholder or managing agents. There are strict criteria that the lease must meet in order to be acceptable to a mortgage company. If it does not meet these requirements, the lease must be amended, which can involve additional expense for the seller.