AssumingI was to acquire a straightforward propertyin Downend for cash and have no survey and no local authority searches how much should I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Downend?
Any savings you would make will be isolated to the Downend conveyancing searches. The conveyancer is obliged to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, liaising with the sellers lawyer, SDLT return, register the ownership etc. A slight saving might be made by not having to register a charge but it will not be significant.
A colleague advised me that if I am buying in Downend I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Downend conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Downend around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Downend Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Downend Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Downend.
My wife and I have a semi-detached Victorian house in Downend. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Barclays Direct. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for 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 Downend 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 buyers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.
The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Downend. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Downend
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Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one close by in Downend I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Downend suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a mortgage that many years will likely be problematic. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
I am 18 days into a leasehold purchase having been directed to a firm by the estate agent to execute conveyancing in Downend. I am not happy. Can you you assist me in finding new solicitors?
They would need to be really poor to suggest changing them. Has the mortgage been generated? If so you must make them aware of the replacement conveyancer and ensure the loan are re-issued. Your new solicitor ideally should be on the banks panel to avoid escalating expenses and delays. So that should be your first question of the new lawyers. The search tool can assist you in finding a lender approved solicitor for your conveyancing in Downend