My family solicitor has quoted £1700 for no sale no fee conveyancing in Heaton. I’m hoping to downsize from a purpose built house for £275,000. This appears expensive. Is it above what I should be paying for conveyancing in Heaton?

The charges are a little high. Where you are happy to spend time scrutinising fee on a like for like basis you could reduce the fees slightly by say £125. That being said, you couldlive to regret opting for an a cheaper solicitor. If is important to check that the conveyancer can act for your mortgage company. You can use our comparison tool to locate a Heaton conveyancing company on the lender’s conveyancing panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Heaton.

My Solicitor in Heaton has never been on on the HSBC Bank Conveyancing Panel. Can I still use my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the HSBC Bank approved list?

Your options are as follows:

1. Complete the purchase with your preferred Heaton solicitors but HSBC Bank will need to retain a solicitor on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing fees as well as cause delays.
2. Get a new lawyer to act in the purchase, not forgetting to check they are on the HSBC Bank panel

What can a local search tell me regarding the house I am purchasing in Heaton?

Heaton conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company for example PSG The local search is essential in every Heaton conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search should reveal data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable 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.

As co-executor for the estate of my grandmother I am selling a property in Newport but reside in Heaton. My conveyancer (approximately 250 miles awayhas requested that I sign a statutory declaration before completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Heaton who can witness this legal document for me?

strictly speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Heaton based

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on our sale of a £475,000 garden flat in Heaton next Monday. The management company has quoted £300 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Heaton?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Heaton conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

Answering pre-exchange enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Heaton Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Heaton leasehold premises is £350. For Heaton conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide the information.

I acquired a garden flat in Heaton, conveyancing having been completed 7 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable properties in Heaton with over 90 years remaining are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2095

You have 71 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.