I have been told that property searches are the primary reason for obstruction in Hawkhurst conveyancing transactions. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to feature in any slowing down conveyancing in Hawkhurst.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Hawkhurst?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Hawkhurst. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £245,000 and found one close by in Hawkhurst I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Hawkhurst suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

Am I better off to instruct a Hawkhurst conveyancing lawyer based in the location that I am buying? I have an old university friend who can perform the legal work however her office is over three hundred kilometers drive away.

The benefit of a high street Hawkhurst conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, present your identification documents and pester them if necessary. They will also have local insight which is a bonus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were impressed that should trump using an unfamiliar Hawkhurst conveyancing lawyer just because they are round the corner.

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Hawkhurst conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Hawkhurst conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Hawkhurst conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be useful:

How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation? Can they put you in touch with clients in Hawkhurst who can give a testimonial?

Leasehold Conveyancing in Hawkhurst - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

For many Hawkhurst leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be included within service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Hawkhurst require leasehold owners to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance. Who are the managing agents? Most Hawkhurst leasehold properties will incur a service bill for maintenance of the building levied by the landlord. If you acquire the property you will have to pay this amount, normally in instalments accross the year. This may differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common areas. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a large amount, say around £50-£100 but you should to check as on occasion it can be prohibitively expensive.