We were about to choose a conveyancing solicitor in West Haddon found by you but have come across alternative fee calculations via the web look less expensive – how come?

One can find hundreds of conveyancing organisations advertising at first sight what seems to be the cheapest conveyancing in West Haddon. We suggest that you think long and hard as to how much you respect your own move to want to be penny wise pound foolish in relation to the standard of the conveyancing. Many of them highlight a low fee to grab your attention but bury extra fees in the small print..

We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in West Haddon and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers used an internet conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in West Haddon. We have lived in West Haddon for three years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to get clarification need.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You need to check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same illness)

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in West Haddon in advance of instructing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. My surveyor advised that some lenders may not give a mortgage on such a home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in West Haddon. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

I was pointed in your direction by a number of property agents in West Haddon to get a quote from a conveyancer using your seach tool. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to offer your services rather than another?

We don’t offer any referral fee for sending work to this site. We thought it would be too underhand a fee because a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

I work for a reputable estate agency in West Haddon where we have experienced a number of flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local West Haddon conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

Leasehold Conveyancing in West Haddon - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

How is the lease structured? Most West Haddon leasehold properties will have a service bill for the upkeep of the building set on behalf of the landlord. If you purchase the property you will have to meet this liability, normally in instalments throughout the year. This could differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal areas. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met annual, normally this is not a significant sum, say about £50-£100 but you need to enquire it because sometimes it could be prohibitively expensive. Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge liability?