There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in Guildford but how do I know who I should use?
Do not opt for the cheapest Guildford conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in advance.
My wife and I have organised a further advance on our mortgage from Skipton as we intend to conduct renovations to our home in Guildford. Are we obliged to appoint a high street Guildford solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Skipton do not ordinarily instruct a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Skipton panel.
I had a mortgage agreed in principle with RBS. Guildford conveyancing lawyers have been instructed. How long does it take for RBS to send the offer to the property lawyer?
There is no definitive answer here. Have RBS conducted the survey? Have you informed RBS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the RBS conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
Me and my brother own a renovated Edwardian property in Guildford. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Skipton Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to read 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Guildford and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Guildford. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.
Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Guildford
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There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. 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 supply a car parking plan. 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. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision.
I decided to have a survey completed on a property in Guildford ahead of appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. My surveyor advised that some lenders may refuse to give a mortgage on such a house.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements from Nationwide. If you call us we can investigate further via the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Guildford. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Guildford to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
How straightforward is it to use the search tool to get a fee calculation from a conveyancing lawyer in Guildford on the authorised to act for my lender?
First select a mortgage company such as Accord Mortgages Ltd, Bank of Scotland or TSB then specify your preferred area a common one being Guildford. Conveyancing firms in Guildford and across England and Wales should be listed.
I work for a busy estate agent office in Guildford where we see a few flat sales put at risk due to short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Guildford conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?
Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
Guildford Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before Purchasing
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How much is the yearly maintenance fee and ground rent? The majority of Guildford leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service charge for maintenance of the block invoiced on behalf of the management company. If you buy the property you will have to pay this liability, usually periodically accross the year. This may differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a exorbitant sum, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to enquire it because occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds. Who are the managing agents?