It is is a decade since I bought my property in Hampshire. Conveyancing lawyers have now been retained on the sale but I am unable to track down my deeds. Is this a problem?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be retained by the mortgage company or they may still be with the conveyancers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Hampshire relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
There are a variety of conveyancing solicitors in Hampshire but how do I know who's good?
We would encourage you not to go for the cheapest Hampshire conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. 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.
is it true that all Hampshire solicitor firms on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the SRA. Many lenders do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the practice would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I am purchasing a property in Hampshire. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Nationwide be concerned?
Given that your lender is Nationwide your lawyer must check the formal requirements set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Nationwide. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to Nationwide where a lease does not meet these requirements. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not isolated to Hampshire.
A friend suggested that if I am purchasing in Hampshire I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Hampshire conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Hampshire around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Hampshire.
Me and my brother purchased a renovated Victorian property in Hampshire. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. Is it worth asking The Royal Bank of Scotland to clarify?
You should assess 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 Hampshire and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.
About to purchase a new build flat in Hampshire. Conveyancing is a frightening process 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 few leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Hampshire
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Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents.
Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Hampshire conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
When appointing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Hampshire conveyancing firm) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Hampshire conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be of use:
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How many lease extensions has the firm carried out in Hampshire in the last 12 months? If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
I inherited a leasehold flat in Hampshire, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2007. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Hampshire with a long lease are worth £202,000. The ground rent is £60 charged once a year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2082
With just 56 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £29,500 and £34,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.