My wife and I are soon to complete on the purchase of a house in Waterbeach but as a consequence of damage from a small fire at the property I have managed to agree recompense from the seller of £3k taking the form of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process yet UBS will not permit this. Why were they informed?

The property lawyer that is on the UBS approved list is obliged to advise UBS of any amendments to the purchase price. If you prohibit your conveyancing practitioner to disclose the price change to UBS then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, UBS and you would have to appoint a new property lawyer for your conveyancing in Waterbeach.

My father informed me that in buying a property in Waterbeach there could be various restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external changes to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Waterbeach which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Waterbeach should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Yorkshire BS as we intend to carry out improvements to our house in Waterbeach. Do we need to choose a nearby Waterbeach solicitor on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Yorkshire BS don't usually appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Waterbeach off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Principality. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Principality, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Principality conveyancing panel.

How does conveyancing in Waterbeach differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Waterbeach contact us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is finished. This is because new home sellers in Waterbeach typically buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Waterbeach or who has acted in the same development.

Last July I purchased a leasehold property in Waterbeach. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Waterbeach Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

The answer will be important as a) areas could result in problems for the block as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where services are not paid for b) if the tenants have a dispute with the running of the building you will want to know about it Best to be warned if window replacement or some other significant cost is anticipated that will be shared between the leaseholders and may well dramatically impact the level of the service charges or require a one off payment. Where a Waterbeach lease has fewer than eighty years it will impact the salability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are happy with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth finding out how much this would cost. For most Waterbeachlease extensions you will be be obliged to have been the owner of the property for two years in order to be legally able to extend the lease.

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor apartment in Waterbeach.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon however I have just had a yearly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear the service charge as usual given that all rents and maintenance charges will be apportionedon completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment 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