It is 10 years ago since I bought my property in Maidstone. Conveyancing lawyers have just been appointed on the sale but I am unable to locate my title documents. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be kept by the mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who acted in your purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring current official copies of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Maidstone relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.
My partner and I are planning on selling our house in Maidstone and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a factory type conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Maidstone. Having lived in Maidstone for three years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to obtain clarification that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You need to check with 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 used Wolstenholmes several years past for my conveyancing in Maidstone. Now, I need the documents but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Maidstone of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Maidstone I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Maidstone for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
I am one month into a freehold purchase having been referred to conveyancers by the high street agent to carry out the conveyancing in Maidstone. We are not happy. Can you you assist me in finding new solicitors?
A solicitor would need to be very bad to suggest changing them. Has the loan offer been sent? In the event that it has you must inform them of the new contact details and get the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. Your new conveyancer needs to be on the banks panel to avoid escalating fees and delays. That should be your first question of the new conveyancers. Our find a solicitor tool can assist you in finding a bank approved conveyancer for your home move in Maidstone
What are the specific advantages to instructing a local conveyancer in Maidstone
Many purchasers and sellers in Maidstone choose a nearby high street conveyancing practitioner so that they can pop into the firm’s offices if they have problems, and to collect documents without using the post.
Some would argue that there is a slight advantage in opting for a lawyer local to the property you are planning to purchase, due to the in-depth knowledge of the region and potential local concerns - nevertheless this is moot. The majority of conveyancers undertaking their communications by way of email and may be practically anywhere.