I was recommended to a solicitor who has given a fee calculation of £1200 for fixed fee conveyancing in Northampton. I am looking to sell a Georgian house for £200,000. Is this too much? Is it above what I should be paying for conveyancing in Northampton?
The estimate does seem marginally steep. Where you are content to expend time comparing quotes you might trim some of the expense by perhaps a hundred pounds. On the other hand, you mightlive to rue opting for an an untested lawyer. If is important to enquire the conveyancer can represent your mortgage company. You can employ our comparison tool to get a quote a Northampton conveyancing company on the lender’s approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Northampton.
We see that you have a post code search directory identifying solicitors on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I appoint them for our own conveyancing in Northampton?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Northampton.
My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Georgian property in Northampton. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Barnsley Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Northampton and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.
Do I need to be suspicious that third parties that I am dealing with are suggesting a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Northampton conveyancing company?
As is the case with many professional services, often suggestions from connections can be worth their weight in gold. Nevertheless there are many players in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks may put forward conveyancers to use. On occasion these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there behind the scenes commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the right to appoint your preferred lawyer. You need to be aware that many mortgage providers specify a panel list of conveyancers you have to use for the mortgage aspect of your transaction.
Back In 2001, I bought a leasehold house in Northampton. Conveyancing and Halifax mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing solicitor in Northampton who previously acted has long since retired. What should I do?
First make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Northampton conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Northampton - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the leaseholders have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often employed if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. Plenty Northampton leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for maintenance of the building set on behalf of the landlord. If you purchase the apartment you will have to pay this amount, usually periodically accross the year. This can be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal areas. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent for you to pay annual, this is usually not a significant figure, say about £50-£100 but you need to enquire it because on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?
20 days into buying a property in Northampton. Conveyancing solicitor has called to say the property is "Leasehold". Should this make a difference on the salability of the property?
Northampton conveyancing does not ordinarily involve leasehold houses. The crucial factor here is the remaining lease term and the ground rent. If it's 999 years with a peppercorn rent, it's almost the same as freehold, so it shouldn't impact the marketability significantly.
On the flip side, if it's, say, fifty five years it is bound to have a material impact on the value, and probably wouldn't be mortgageable. The length of lease and ground rent will be specified in the lease which should be made available to your conveyancing practitioner.