It is is a decade since I purchased my property in Cambridge. Conveyancing lawyers have just been appointed on the sale but I can't track down the title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be retained by your mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who oversaw the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Cambridge involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more tricky but is not insurmountable.
What does a local search tell me concerning the house I am purchasing in Cambridge?
Cambridge conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for instance Xpress Legal The local search is essential in every Cambridge conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search will reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic headings.
I used Stirling Law several years past for my conveyancing in Cambridge. Now, I need my files however the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Cambridge of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one round the corner in Cambridge I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Cambridge in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
If you need a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing lawyer in Cambridge for my sale. Is it possible to see a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?
Anyone can review published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations commenced on or after Jan 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find records Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes monitor call for training reasons.
Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Cambridge from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?
- A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Cambridge can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ solicitors. You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you consider whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale. A minority of Cambridge leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Obtaining a new share certificate is often a time consuming process and delays many a Cambridge conveyancing transaction. If a duplicate share is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity. Many freeholders or Management Companies in Cambridge levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Cambridge.
I purchased a ground floor flat in Cambridge, conveyancing having been completed in 2004. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Corresponding properties in Cambridge with a long lease are worth £190,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2088
You have 62 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £17,100 and £19,800 as well as costs.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.