It is 10 years ago since I bought my house in New Forest. Conveyancing solicitors have now been retained on the sale but I can't locate the title deeds. Is this a problem?

You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be kept by the lender or they may stored with the solicitor who acted in your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in New Forest involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

My grandfather passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in New Forest. The house had a relatively small loan left on it of around £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to UBS, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

Given you plan to refinance then UBS will insist on your using a conveyancer on the UBS conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your UBS conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the UBS mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in New Forest what would it be?

Do not opt for the cheapest New Forest conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I am aiming to move home in July. Does my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the day of completion. On a separate note, can you put forward a removal company in New Forest. Conveyancing firm was chosen prior to coming across your site.

On the afternoon of completion you can collect the keys from your selling agent but this can only happen once the sellers conveyancers confirm to the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be released. After that you can tell the removal men that you are ready to move in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a specific removal company but can help you find a residential property solicitor in New Forest or a lawyer with expertise in conveyancing in New Forest.

The mortgage over my property is with Coventry BS for my property in New Forest. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Coventry BS?

You must advise Coventry BS before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Coventry BS’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Coventry BS directly. You need not do this via a Coventry BS conveyancing panel firm.

What can a local search inform me about the house my wife and I buying in New Forest?

New Forest conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations for instance Searches UK The local search plays a central role in most New Forest conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search will provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant 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 headings.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in New Forest with the intention of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in New Forest can be avoided if you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ lawyers.
Many freeholders or Management Companies in New Forest levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in New Forest. If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy process and slows down many a New Forest home move. If a new share certificate is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity. If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unresolved. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to ongoing.

Leasehold Conveyancing in New Forest - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

You will want to discover as much as possible about the managing agents as they will either make life much simpler or much more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to every day matters like the tidiness of the common parts. You should not be afraid to ask other people what they think of their service. On a final note, find out the dates that the service fees are due to the appropriate party and specifically what it includes. Best to be warned whether a new roof is being put on or some other significant cost is due in the near future that will be shared between the leasehold owners and will materially increase the the service costs or require a one time payment. Generally speaking the cost for major works tend not to be incorporated into the service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in New Forest ask leaseholders to contribute towards a reserve fund created for the specific intention of establishing a fund for major repairs or maintenance.