My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Townhill. I I am struggling to find out whether they are on the Barclays Direct conveyancing panel. Can you help?

You should phone your lawyer and ask them whether they are on the lender panel. Alternatively you should get in touch with Barclays Direct who may be able to assist.

We are due to move property in January. Does my conveyancing solicitor update the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you recommend a removal company in Townhill. Conveyancing solicitor was organised prior to coming across this page.

On the afternoon of completion you can collect the keys from your property agent but this should only happen when the sellers lawyers advise the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be collected. Subsequently you can inform the removal men that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a particular removal company but can help you find a conveyancing in Townhill or a solicitor that specialises in conveyancing in Townhill.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Townhill. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. Shortly after, the property lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Coventry BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

TSB have agreed my home loan in principle, my offer on a apartment in Townhill has been agreed to, what happens next?

Your estate agent will wish to be advised as to your property lawyer's details (be sure the lawyers are on the lender’s approved list). Telephone TSB or your broker and finish off any appropriate paperwork. TSB will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or seller to schedule an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average ten days for the mortgage offer to be issued. TSB will send the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Townhill.

Should I be suspicious by brokers that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Townhill conveyancing firm?

As is the case with lots of professional services, often input from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. But there are lots of players in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and lenders might all recommend solicitors to choose. On occasion the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but occasionally there may be a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are free to select your preferred conveyancer. You need to be aware that most banks operate an approved list of solicitors you have to use for the mortgage aspect of your house move.

I am 17 days into a leasehold purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the high street agent to execute conveyancing in Townhill. We are not happy. Could you help me find new solicitors?

A conveyancer would have to be really poor in order to consider diss instructing them. Has your mortgage been issued? In the event that it has you will need to advise them of the replacement solicitor and ensure the offer are issued to the new lawyers. The solicitor ideally should be on the lenders panel to avoid added charges and frustration. So that should be your starting point. The find a solicitor tool can help you find a bank approved lawyer for your home move in Townhill

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two maisonettes in Townhill which have approximately forty five years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold flat in Townhill is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the marketability of the property. For most buyers and lenders, leases with less than 75 years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Townhill conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Townhill - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

Is the freehold reversion owned jointly by the leaseholders? This information is useful as a) areas may cause problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate where services remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to have all the details