I am buying a house without a mortgage in Totland. I have been living for the last 20 years in Totland. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. As I know the area and road intimately must I have all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a mortgage, then almost all of the Totland conveyancing searches are optional. Your conveyancer will ’encourage you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but he has a professional duty to do this. One thing to bear in mind; if you are intend to dispose of the house at a future date, it will be of relevance to your prospective purchaser what the searches determine. Sometimes premises with no practical issues can still reveal unexpected search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Totland should provide you some practical guidance here.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Totland?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Totland. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one close by in Totland I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, however it's only got 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Totland suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

What does commercial conveyancing in Totland cover?

Totland conveyancing for business premises covers a wide range of guidance, offered by regulated solicitors, relating to business property. By way of example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the assignment of existing business tenancies or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of tenancies.

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor apartment in Totland. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is clear the service charge as normal given that all rents and maintenance invoices will be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Totland Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? For most Totland leaseholds the outlay for major works are not included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Totland obliged leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major works. This information is helpful as a) areas could result in problems for the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate if services remain unpaid b) if the tenants have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to have all the details