I have given 2 months notice to my existing landlord and must leave my let out apartment in Hungerford by 3/3/2026. Conveyancing for my house purchase is progressing. Is it possible to complete in a couple of weeks as I wish to avoid having to find short term accommodation?
Generally one should not serve notice for your lease unless exchange of contracts has taken place. If you have not already done so, update to your conveyancer and ask them to they seek the assistance the other side, try to get a realistic time scale from them that everyone will look towards
What is the first thing I need to know concerning purchase conveyancing in Hungerford?
You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Hungerford and elsewhere in Berkshire is an adversarial experience. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists an abundance of room for confrontation between you and other parties involved in the ownership transfer. For example, the seller, selling agent and on occasion your bank. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Hungerford should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE person in the legal process whose role it is to protect your legal interests and to keep you safe.
Sometimes a potential adversary will attempt to convince you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For instance, the property agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your solicitor is wrong. Or your financial adviser may tell you to do take action that is contrary to your solicitors advice. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the home moving process.
I am considering applying for a Principality mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in Hungerford with 70% loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Principality ?
In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Principality conveyancing panel, but Principality would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same conveyancing matter.
I am close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Hungerford and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a national conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Hungerford. Having lived in Hungerford for six years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation need.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)
I am a sole trader intending to take over a lease of a shop on a shopping parade. Can you recommend conveyancers offering no-move-no charges for non-domestic conveyancing in Hungerford for under 1500k?
We can recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Hungerford, including the sale and purchase of businesses as well as simply premises. Whether you are intending to buy or sell a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a complete business we will put you in touch with the right solicitor. As for the charges these will vary based on the structure and heads of terms of the deal. Let us have your contact information or phone us so that we may furnish you with a detailed commercial conveyancing calculation.
Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Hungerford from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?
- Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Hungerford can be avoided if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers. If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where a dispute is ongoing. You may have to bite the bullet and 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 ahead of 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 clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic rather than unsettled. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you are holding the original share certificate. Organising a replacement share certificate can be a lengthy process and delays many a Hungerford home move. If a new share is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity. If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Hungerford state that internal structural changes or addition of wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. Should you fail to have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in advance. Some Hungerford leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet 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 purchasers or their solicitors.
I invested in buying a 1st floor flat in Hungerford, conveyancing having been completed in 1999. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar flats in Hungerford with over 90 years remaining are worth £255,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease ceases on 21st October 2099
With 73 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as legals.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.