I have given 8 weeks notice to my current landlord and have to vacate my let out property in Seaford by the end of next month. Conveyancing for my house purchase has just started. Can I complete in three weeks as I wish to avoid having to move into short term accommodation?
Generally one should not provide notice for your letting unless your lawyer suggests that you should. If you have not already done so, speak to your solicitor and request that they seek the assistance the other lawyers, try to get a realistic time scale from them that all parties will work to achieve
What can a local search tell me concerning the house my wife and I purchasing in Seaford?
Seaford conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations for instance Searchflow The local search is essential in every Seaford conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search will provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject areas.
I purchased a 4 bedroom Edwardian house in Seaford. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and HSBC Bank. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Seaford and other areas of 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 check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
I was advised by a number of estate agents in Seaford to select a conveyancer using your seach tool. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to promote your lawyers ahead of a competitor’s?
We don’t give any financial incentive for sending work in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
My cousin has suggested that I instruct his lawyers for conveyancing in Seaford. Should I choose my own conveyancer?
There are no two ways about it the best way to select a conveyancing solicitor is to seek recommendations from friends or relatives who have actually used the solicitor you're contemplating using.
I work for a busy estate agent office in Seaford where we see a few flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Seaford conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.
Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
I am the registered owner of a ground floor flat in Seaford, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable properties in Seaford with a long lease are worth £197,000. The ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease expires on 21st October 2079
With 54 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £32,300 and £37,400 plus costs.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.