At what point does exchange of contracts take place for sale conveyancing in Tilehurst and do I need to be at the conveyancers branch?

If you are round the corner to our conveyancing solicitors in Tilehurst you are invited in to sign contracts. That being said, the law practices we work with supply a national conveyancing service and give just as detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you by post or email. The executing of the purchase agreement is not the point of no return. Signing on the dotted line is just a prerequisite for the firm to officially exchange when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a lengthy "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Tilehurst)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

My wife and I buying a 3 bedroom semi in Tilehurst. We would like to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will the conveyancing process involve enquiries to ascertain if these works are prohibited?

Your property lawyer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Tilehurst will sometimes reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict categories of alterations or need the permission of another owner. Many works require local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Many locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Tilehurst. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Leeds Building Society be concerned?

Given that your lender is Leeds Building Society your lawyer must check the formal instructions contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Leeds Building Society. The CML Handbook sets out minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to Leeds Building Society where a lease fails to comply with these requirements. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Tilehurst.

At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Tilehurst agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on a property, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. I have instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Tilehurst. What do I do now? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with Skipton?

It is understandable to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (home loan application is approx one thousand pounds, then valuation, Tilehurst conveyancing search charges, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Skipton approved list. As to the subsequent phase this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market many home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Skipton and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their solicitor to proceed with the conveyancing in Tilehurst.

My wife and I own a renovated Victorian house in Tilehurst. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Godiva Mortgages Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Tilehurst and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who carried out the work.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Tilehurst. Conveyancing and Barnsley Building Society mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing solicitor in Tilehurst who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a Tilehurst conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. You should note that regardless, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I own a ground floor flat in Tilehurst, conveyancing having been completed May 2006. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Tilehurst with over 90 years remaining are worth £221,000. The ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease runs out on 21st October 2095

You have 70 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 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 extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

Me and my partner have just had an offer agreed on a property and had meeting on Wednesday with HSBC for the mortgage. They advised me that when it comes to selecting a property lawyer that unless they are on their approved list of property lawyers then we will be subject to an an additional fee of about two hundred pounds. This is because they would then have to appoint a property lawyer to act for them in addition to the one we appoint on our behalf and we assume responsibility for their costs. I have asked HSBC to provide me with a list so I can seek estimates only from their approved solicitors but was told they dont have such a list to hand over. Is there a simple way of finding out who is on a lender panel?

Ask HSBC what their criteria for joining their panel is for a conveyancer.Thereafter ask the conveyancer of your choice whether they meet the criteria and have they acted on mortgages for HSBC before. If the answer to those is yes, then just clarify this with HSBC. Alternatively please make use of our search tool and we should be able to find you a solicitor in Tilehurst on the panel for HSBC.