My fiancee and I are acquiring our first home. Our solicitor has contact usto check if we want to purchase supplemental conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's recommended for conveyancing in Whalley

The type of Whalley conveyancing searches should be triggered based primarily on the premises, the location, the probability of any of these risks, your knowledge of the locality and risks, your overall attitude to risk. What matters is that you properly understand what information the searches could supply. Then you can make a decision if you personally think you need that search. If unclear, ask your lawyer to recommend.

We're in Whalley, First timers buying with a mortgage (lender is Yorkshire BS , and our solicitor is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

Should my conveyancer be raising enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Whalley.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers specialising in conveyancing in Whalley. There are those who buy a house in Whalley, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that can be carried out by the buyer or by their conveyancers which will figure out the risks in Whalley. The standard property information forms supplied to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual question of the owner to find out if the premises has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the vendor, then a purchaser may commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an inaccurate answer. The buyer’s conveyancers will also carry out an environmental report. This should indicate if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further inquiries will need to be conducted.

Me and my brother own a renovated Edwardian house in Whalley. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and The Mortgage Works. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. Is it worth asking The Mortgage Works to clarify?

You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Whalley and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Whalley. Before diving in I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Whalley - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Whalley Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

What is the name of the managing agents? How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? The majority of Whalley leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service charge for maintenance of the building invoiced by the freeholder. Where you purchase the property you will have to meet this contribution, usually quarterly throughout the year. This may vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal areas. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, normally this is not a large amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to enquire as occasionally it can be prohibitively expensive.