I am looking to buy a flat and need a conveyancing solicitor in Aldeburgh who is on the The Royal Bank of Scotland solicitor. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for The Royal Bank of Scotland in certain locations such as Aldeburgh. We dont recommend any particular firm.

Is there a list of Nationwide panel conveyancers in Aldeburgh on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

No. There is no such tool on the CML or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of banks make their panel listings available over the internet. Where you are in need of a Aldeburgh conveyancing practitioner on the Nationwide please make the most of our tool.

We previously instructed solicitors located in Aldeburgh on the TSB solicitor panel. They are now charging me a supplemental sum for the legal aspects of the TSB mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by TSB?

Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer can levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by TSB but by your Aldeburgh lawyer. Numerous firms on the TSB panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of practices include it on their overall fee.

My partner and I have organised a further advance on our home loan from Principality as we wish to conduct renovations to our house in Aldeburgh. Are we obliged to appoint a high street Aldeburgh solicitor on the Principality conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Principality do not ordinarily require a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Principality panel.

Will our solicitor be making enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Aldeburgh.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers carrying out conveyancing in Aldeburgh. Some people will acquire a house in Aldeburgh, fully expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or dispose of the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that may be initiated by the buyer or by their conveyancers which will figure out the risks in Aldeburgh. The standard information given to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a standard question of the seller to discover if the premises has historically flooded. In the event that the property has been flooded in past and is not notified by the vendor, then a purchaser could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an misleading reply. The purchaser’s solicitors may also carry out an enviro search. This will indicate if there is any known flood risk. If so, further inquiries will need to be made.

How does conveyancing in Aldeburgh differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Aldeburgh contact us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Aldeburgh typically acquire the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Aldeburgh or who has acted in the same development.

I am employed by a long established estate agent office in Aldeburgh where we see a number of leasehold sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local Aldeburgh conveyancing firms. Can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence 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 to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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 purchaser.

Aldeburgh Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

How much is the service charge and ground rent on the flat? How many years are left on the lease? Plenty Aldeburgh leasehold flats will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the block levied on behalf of the landlord. Should you buy the flat you will have to pay this contribution, usually quarterly during the year. This can vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common areas. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant sum, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to enquire it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds.