I can see plenty of here regarding conveyancing in Botley but can you isolate your top tip for choosing the right conveyancer in Botley

It would be unwise to be tempted by the lowest Botley conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as a first time buyer of a garden flat in Botley. Do I receive the keys to the premises on the completion date from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Botley?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will transfer the purchase money to the vendor’s lawyers, and once they have received this, you will be able to pick up the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.

Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Botley. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

Is it necessary to take out insurance to cover chancel repairs when acquiring a residence in Botley?

Unless a prior acquisition of the property completed post 12 October 2013 you could expect conveyancing practitioners delivering conveyancing in Botley to continue to advocate a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

I own a terraced Victorian property in Botley. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You should assess 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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Botley and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Botley. Conveyancing and Skipton Building Society mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Botley who previously acted has now retired. Do I pay?

First contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Botley conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Botley, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent flats in Botley with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2077

With 53 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £27,600 and £31,800 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

My brother mentioned that when selecting a conveyancing firm they need approved by your bank. It happens to be my first home move but I have an offer in principle with Santander and I already have a family conveyancing lawyer in Botley at the ready. Can Halifax insist on an approved lawyer to be instructed? If so, where can I find that list for my conveyancing in Botley?

You need to choose a solicitor that is on the Halifax panel. The simplest thing to do is call your chosen Botley conveyancing solicitor to check if they are on the Halifax panel. If they are not on the panel you have numerous options available to you here:

• Carry on with your chosen Botley lawyer but Halifax will undoubtedly instruct a conveyancing practitioner from their approved panel. The net result is additional fees and probable delay.
• Get a fresh property lawyer to act in the purchase, not forgetting to check that they are on the Halifax conveyancing panel.
• Appeal to your solicitor to attempt to join the bank panel.