My partner’s uncle is a solicitor. I suspect that I will receive mate’s fee for conveyancing, However if that does not come through, what level of costs would I typically be looking at for conveyancing in Calcot?
You should contrast pricing. Do use our search tool on this site. Whilst charges may be different but the service one can expect differ between conveyancers as is the case with most professions.
My wife and I purchasing a victorian detached house in Calcot. We would like to an extension at the rear at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve checks to ascertain if these works are permitted?
Your conveyancer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Calcot will occasionally identify restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit certain alterations or need the consent of another owner. Many works require local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
Is it the case that all Calcot solicitor firms on the Lloyds conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. The majority of mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the practice would be regulated by the CLC.
Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Calcot solicitor - who is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Kent Reliance will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Kent Reliance will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Calcot postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Kent Reliance, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Calcot.
Me and my brother have a renovated Victorian house in Calcot. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Skipton Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You should review 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Calcot 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 purchasers. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.
I have been pointed in your direction by a number of estate agents in Calcot to locate a conveyancer using your seach tool. What’s the financial upside for Estate Agents to recommend your services ahead of a competitor’s?
We don’t offer any financial incentive for directing people in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.
Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement apartment in Calcot. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, but I have just had a yearly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?
It best that you discharge the invoice as normal because all rents and maintenance charges should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed 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 unless 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.
I purchased a leasehold flat in Calcot, conveyancing formalities finalised February 2011. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Calcot with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2100
With only 75 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.
I am an executor of my recently deceased aunt’s Will, with a bungalow in Calcot which will be marketed. The house has never been registered at the Land Registry and I'm advised that many estate agents will insist that it is done before they'll proceed. What's the mechanism for this?
In the situation that you have set out it seems advisable to apply to register in the names of the personal representative(s) as named in the probate and in their capacity as PRs. The Land Registry’s online guidance explains how to register for the first time and what is required re the deeds and forms. You would need to include and official copy of the probate as well and complete the form FR1 to refer to the PRs as the applicant.