We are about to sign contracts for a leasehold flat in East Hunsbury. We have hit a problem. The loan offer with Santander runs out on 1/7/2024 but the sellers are putting forward a completion date of 3/7/2024. Is it possible to extend the loan expiry date?

The best person to address this concern is your lawyer who is in a position to calculate if he or she is corresponding with the mortgage broker, seller’s lawyers, property agents or possibly all three based on the history of your transaction as of today.

I am buying a garden flat in East Hunsbury. Can I do my own conveyancing?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in East Hunsbury you will have to appoint a solicitor on your bank's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in East Hunsbury.

I moved into my flat on 8 April and the transaction details is not yet on the land registry website. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in East Hunsbury expressed confidence that it should be recorded in a couple of weeks. Are titles in East Hunsbury particularly slow to register?

As far as conveyancing in East Hunsbury is concerned, registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of the country. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can vary depending on the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry have to notify any interested parties. As of today roughly three quarters of such applications are completed in less than three weeks but some can be subject to extensive hold-ups. Registration takes place after the purchaser has moved in to the property so 'speed' is not usually primary concern but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your lawyers could speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.

Am I better off to go with a East Hunsbury conveyancing lawyer based in the location that I am hoping to buy? An old friend can conduct the conveyancing however they are based approximately 350kilometers drive away.

The benefit of a high street East Hunsbury conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to sign documents, deliver your ID and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and on the whole were content that should surpass using an unfamiliar East Hunsbury conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being based in the area.

My husband and I may need to sub-let our East Hunsbury garden flat for a while due to a new job. We used a East Hunsbury conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time get any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your last East Hunsbury conveyancing solicitor is no longer available you can review your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the property. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to seek consent from your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior consent. Such consent must not not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If your lease prohibits you from letting out the property you should ask your landlord for their consent.

East Hunsbury Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

Is anyone aware of any major works in the planning that will increase the service fees? What is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the flat? If a East Hunsbury lease has less than 80 years it will impact the salability of the property. Check with your bank that they are happy with remaining years on the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely require a lease extension at some point and it is worth discovering how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will be be obliged to have owned the residence for two years in order to be entitled to extend the lease.