AssumingI was to acquire a simple residential homein Hertfordshire for cash and have no survey and no conveyancing searches how much would I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Hertfordshire?
The sole reduction in fees you would make on is the disbursement for searches. Your conveyancer is required to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, communicating with your vendors conveyancing practitioner, SDLT return, register the property etc. A marginal saving might be made by not needing to register a charge but it will not be significant.
I am buying a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Hertfordshire who is on the Lloyds TSB Bank approved. Can you recommend a local solicitor?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Lloyds TSB Bank in certain locations such as Hertfordshire. We dont recommend any particular firm.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property can not be found. The conveyancers who did the conveyancing in Hertfordshire 10 years ago have long since closed. What are my options?
Gone are the days when you need to have the physical original deeds to prove you are the owner of your registered land or property, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.
How does conveyancing in Hertfordshire differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Hertfordshire come to us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is ready to move into. This is because builders in Hertfordshire usually purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Hertfordshire or who has acted in the same development.
Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Hertfordshire before appointing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor advised that some lenders will not grant a loan on a flying freehold premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Hertfordshire. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Hertfordshire with the intention of expediting the sale process?
- Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Hertfordshire can be avoided where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers. Some Hertfordshire leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share document. Arranging a new share certificate can be a lengthy process and delays many a Hertfordshire home move. If a reissued share certificate is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible. If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a property where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved.
Hertfordshire Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing
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It would be wise to discover if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in in a block in Hertfordshire. If you love the flatin Hertfordshire but your cat can’t live with you then you have a very difficult choice. Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the tenants? Does the lease have onerous restrictions?