In the event thatI was to purchase a freehold housein Rochester mortgage fee and have no survey and no conveyancing searches how much would I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Rochester?
The only reduction in fees you would make on is the disbursement for searches. A conveyancer still be obliged to do everything else - money laundering, communicating with the sellers conveyancer, stamp duty submission, register the ownership etc. You might save a bit for them not having to register a charge but it won't be a lot.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Rochester. My lender is Virgin
Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 1/11/2025, the requirements read as follows :
I have recentlyfound out that Action Conveyancing have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Rochester for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I check that the property is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?
The quickest method to check if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Rochester conveyancing specialists.
I am buying a new build house in Rochester with a mortgage from The Mortgage Works. The sellers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my conveyancer about the extras as it would affect my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Am I best advised to use a Rochester conveyancing lawyer based in the area that I am hoping to buy? We have a good friend who can carry out the legal work however her office is a couple of hundredmiles away.
The benefit of a local Rochester conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to sign paperwork, present your identification documents and pester them if necessary. Having local Rochester know how is a bonus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and on the whole were impressed that must outweigh using an unfamiliar Rochester conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being local.
What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Rochester conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?
If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Rochester conveyancing firm) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Rochester conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be useful:
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If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason? Can they put you in touch with clients in Rochester who can give a testimonial?
Rochester Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing
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The prefered form of lease arrangement is if the freehold reversion is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this scenario the leaseholders benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is usually retained where it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. The answer will be helpful as a) areas can result in problems in the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to know about it It is important to be aware whether redecorating or some other major work is coming up to be shared by the leaseholders and could well materially increase the the service fees or necessitate a one off invoice.