We are a couple about to sign contracts for a freehold house in Westbury On Trym. We encountered a snag. Our mortgage offer with HSBC Bank runs out on 23/2/2026 but the owners are putting forward a completion date of 25/2/2026. Is it possible to prolong the loan offer?
The person best placed to deal with your concern is your solicitors who should calculate if they corresponding with the mortgage company, owner’s solicitors, selling agents or indeed all parties based on what has happend in your conveyancing as of today.
My partner and I are planning on selling our house in Westbury On Trym and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built 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 buyers used a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Westbury On Trym. Having lived in Westbury On Trym for six years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get confirmation need.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You should 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 sickness)
Have purchased a a semi-detached house in Westbury On Trym , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to register the transfer to my name? My Westbury On Trym conveyancing solicitor has been very slow, so I want to check the registration formalities are addressed.
As far as conveyancing in Westbury On Trym is concerned, registration is no faster or slower than anywhere else in the country. Rather than based on location, timeframes can vary depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry communicate with any third parties. As of today roughly three quarters of such applications are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be protracted delays. Registration occurs after the buyer has moved in to the premises so 'speed' is not usually an essential issue but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your solicitor must communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.
I was advised by a number of estate agents in Westbury On Trym to choose a conveyancer on your site. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to recommend your lawyers rather than alternative conveyancing organisations?
We refuse to offer any referral fee for sending work to this site. We found it would be just too difficult a fee as members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.
I am attracted to a couple of maisonettes in Westbury On Trym which have in the region of forty five years remaining on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?
There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Westbury On Trym is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the value of the property. The majority of purchasers and banks, leases with under 75 years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Westbury On Trym conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.
Westbury On Trym Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying
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Where a Westbury On Trym lease has fewer than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the flat. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will probably have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the property for 24 months in order to be legally able to exercise a lease extension. Best to be warned whether fixing the lift or some other significant cost is anticipated to be shared amongst the leasehold owners and will materially impact the level of the maintenance fees or necessitate a one time payment. Plenty Westbury On Trym leasehold properties will have a service charge for the upkeep of the building invoiced on behalf of the landlord. Where you purchase the property you will have to meet this charge, usually periodically accross the year. This may vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common grounds. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent for you to pay annual, this is usually not a significant sum, say around £25-£75 but you need to enquire as on occasion it can be surprisingly expensive.
We are thinking of choosing an online solicitor as opposed to a Westbury On Trym conveyancing firm. Any advice?
Various benefits exist in having the opportunity to attend a local Westbury On Trym conveyancing solicitor such as
- signing documents on short notice
- having face-to-face explanations of issues that need explaining
- the ability to raise concerns if things are not going as expected
When analysing quotes, look out for hidden extras. Most decent Westbury On Trym high street solicitors give an all-inclusive figure. Many online companies appear to offer cheap prices, but have hidden 'extras' in the fine print.