There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in Acocks Green but how do I know who I should use?

We would encourage you not to base your choice on the lowest Acocks Green conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. 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.

The mortgage over my property is with Nottingham for my property in Acocks Green. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. Should I wish 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 Nottingham?

Nottingham must be informed of your intention in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nottingham’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Nottingham will permit you to let 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 Nottingham directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nottingham conveyancing panel lawyer.

My offer on a house in Acocks Green has been agreed to, the owners do however have a connected purchase. The vendors have put an offer on a property, however it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other properties in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Acocks Green. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Principality started?

It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Acocks Green conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you should ensure that your lawyer is on the Principality approved list. Regarding the subsequent stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some purchasers would apply for the mortgage with Principality and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their lawyer to proceed with searches.

We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Acocks Green and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A high street Acocks Green lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers used an internet conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Acocks Green. We have lived in Acocks Green for three years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get clarification need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)

I'm purchasing my first flat in Acocks Green with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not disclose to my solicitor about this deal as it may adversely affect my mortgage with Yorkshire Building Society. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I decided to have a survey done on a house in Acocks Green ahead of retaining conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor has said that some banks may refuse to give a mortgage on a flying freehold home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Acocks Green. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Acocks Green especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Acocks Green.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Acocks Green with the intention of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Acocks Green can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers.
The majority of freeholders or Management Companies in Acocks Green levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Acocks Green. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate is often a time consuming formality and slows down many a Acocks Green home move. If a reissued share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this as soon as possible. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.

I own a ground floor flat in Acocks Green, conveyancing was carried out January 2002. 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 Acocks Green with an extended lease are worth £176,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2104

You have 80 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.