Why do I have to pay up front for my conveyancing in Totton?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Totton your lawyer will ask you put them with monies to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. When the deposit is payable against the purchase price then this will be required immediately before exchange of contracts. Any further balance that is needed will be payable shortly before completion.

My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Edwardian house in Totton. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Coventry Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to read 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 Totton and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the position with the conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.

Am I best advised to choose a Totton conveyancing solicitor based in the vicinity that I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can carry out the conveyancing however her office is over three hundred miles drive away.

The benefit of a local Totton conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to sign documents, present your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Totton know how is a bonus. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust instructed your friend and on the whole were impressed that must outweigh using an unfamiliar Totton conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being round the corner.

My husband and I may need to let out our Totton 1st floor flat for a while due to taking a sabbatical. We used a Totton conveyancing firm in 2004 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Some leases for properties in Totton do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

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

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? Generally speaking the outlay for major works are not wrapped into the maintenance charges, although some managing agents in Totton obliged leasehold owners to contribute towards a reserve fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for larger repairs or maintenance. Best to be warned whether window replacement or some other major work is due in the foreseeable future that will be shared by the leaseholders and could well materially increase the the maintenance fees or require a specific invoice.

I'm buying a bungalow in Totton. I can find my conveyancer's company on the Law Society's list, but I can't see my lawyer's name on the list. Is this a big problem?

Not all staff in the law firm must be listed by the regulator. As long there is someone qualified to 'oversee' the conveyancing, the actual day-to-day activity can be undertaken by unlicensed staff.