At what point will exchange of contracts take place for residential conveyancing in Havant and am I required to be at the solicitors office?
If you are round the corner to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Havant you are invited in to sign the paperwork. That being said, the law practices we work with provide a countrywide conveyancing service and give as equally detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you by post or email. The executing of the contract is not when everything is set in stone. Signing on the dotted line is necessary for the firm to officially exchange at the appropriate time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a long "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Havant)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.
My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Havant. I I would like to check whether they are on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel. Can you advise?
You should call your solicitor and ask them if they can act for the bank. Alternatively please call Bank of Scotland who may be able to assist.
I just acquired a flat at auction in Havant. Conveyancing is needed. What happens now?
Now that you have for in every practical sense signed on the dotted line you will need to retain a conveyancing solicitor soon as you will have a pending deadline in which to complete the transaction. An auction property will ordinarily have an associated auction pack. This should include most,if not all of the documents that your lawyer requires. In the case of leasehold premises the auction papers should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation pertinent to a leasehold property. You must hand this to the solicitor instructed by you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Nationwide. Havant conveyancing lawyers are selected. How long does it take for Nationwide to forward the offer to the conveyancer?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Nationwide conducted the valuation? Have you advised Nationwide as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
I had an offer accepted on a house in Havant on 9/5/2025, valuation was booked five days later, all came back fine. Solicitor retained, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Bank of Ireland and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Are Bank of Ireland entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Bank of Ireland to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
The deeds to my home can not be found. The lawyers who handled the conveyancing in Havant 4 years ago are no longer around. What do I do?
As long as the title is registered the information relating to your proprietorship will be recorded by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is possible to execute a search at the Land Registry, find your house and get current copies of the Registered Entries for less than a fiver. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a certified duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for £20 inclusive of VAT.
I was pointed in your direction by a few estate agents in Havant to locate a conveyancer using your seach tool. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to offer your services over and above alternative conveyancing organisations?
We refuse to give any commission for directing people our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
There are only 72 years left on my lease in Havant. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What options are available to me?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you have used your best endeavours to track down the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent may be useful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Havant.
I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Havant, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar properties in Havant with a long lease are worth £216,000. The ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2094
With only 69 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.