Recently been in touch with my conveyancing solicitor in Dartford who completed the legal work 18 months ago and wanted a conveyancing estimate based on the same type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold premises and a freehold property) of similar values with a loan from Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. It looks as though am now being quoted double. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for a cheaper internet property lawyer?
The quote is slightly on the steep side. Where you are happy to expend time scrutinising prices you may be able to trim some of the cost by perhaps £125. That being said, if you were pleased with the legal work the firm gave you couldlive to rue choosing an a cheaper lawyer. Remember to ensure that the conveyancer can also act for Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Do make use of our search tool to select a Dartford conveyancing firm on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Dartford.
What will a local search inform me about the property my wife and I buying in Dartford?
Dartford conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company such as Searches UK The local search plays an important part in many a Dartford conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant surprises after you move into your new home. The search will provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable 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 subject areas.
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £235,500 and found one near me in Dartford I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Dartford in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.
I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Dartford. I happened to discover a site which appears to be the ideal answer If it is possible to get all the legals completed via email that would be ideal. Do I need to be wary? What are the potential pitfalls?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
I am looking at a couple of flats in Dartford which have approximately 50 years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?
There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Dartford is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it reduces the salability of the property. For most purchasers and banks, leases with under 75 years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Dartford conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.
I am the proprietor of a ground-floor 1950’s flat in Dartford. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount payable for a lease extension?
Where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to judgment on the price.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Dartford residence is Various @ Colombus Square in January 2012. the Tribunal calculated the premiums to be paid for new leases for each of the flats in Mariners Walk to be £3822 and the premium to be paid for the new lease of 2 Knights Court to be £4439. This case was in relation to 13 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 76 years.
My solicitors in Dartford have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. At the time of my purchase I took out a mortgage with the mortgage company. Is it case that being on the lender conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?
Different lenders have different requirements but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the lender Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the bank directly.