Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Lanchester?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Lanchester. 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 am looking into buying my first house which is in Lanchester and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Lanchester. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Lanchester area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Lanchester. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

Am I better off to go with a Lanchester conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am buying? An old friend can perform the legal work but her office is 300kilometers away.

The benefit of a local Lanchester conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute documents, present your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have used your friend and they were content that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Lanchester conveyancing lawyer just because they are based in the area.

I am a negotiator for a long established estate agency in Lanchester where we see a few leasehold sales put at risk due to short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Lanchester conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I acquired a studio flat in Lanchester, conveyancing formalities finalised 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? Corresponding properties in Lanchester with an extended lease are worth £202,000. The ground rent is £60 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2081

You have 57 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £28,500 and £33,000 plus legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor apartment in Lanchester.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated however I have recently had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear the maintenance contribution as normal because all ground rent and maintenance payments should be allottedon completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process