What does a local search tell me regarding the house we're purchasing in Hull?

Hull conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for example Xpress Legal The local search is essential in every Hull conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant surprises after you move into your property. The search will supply information 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 topic headings.

My wife and I have a renovated Victorian property in Hull. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Platform Home Loans Ltd. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Hull and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.

Should I be suspicious by third parties that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an online conveyancing firm rather than a local Hull conveyancing practice?

As with many professional services, often recommendations from relatives can be worth their weight in gold. But there are numerous players in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all suggest lawyers to instruct. On occasion these solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there behind the scenes commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are free to appoint your own lawyer. However, bear in mind that many banks specify a panel list of law firms you must use for the lender aspect of your conveyancing.

My husband and I are novice buyers - had an offer accepted, but the agent has warned us that the vendor will only go ahead if we instruct the agent's preferred lawyers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a local solicitor who is accustomed to conveyancing in Hull

We suspect that the owner is not behind this ultimatum. Should the seller desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated buyer is likely to cause more damage than good. Speak to the vendors direct and make sure they understand (a)you are motivated purchasers (b)you are ready to go, with finances in place © you do not need to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you will continue to appoint your own,trusted Hull conveyancing firm - not the ones that will provide the negotiator at the agency a kickback or hit his conveyancing thresholds set by head office.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Hull. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have just received a yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear the service charge as normal as all rents and maintenance payments should be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I invested in buying a 1 bedroom flat in Hull, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Hull with an extended lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2075

With just 51 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £30,400 and £35,200 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should 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 you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.