When scouring consumer advice sites for a high-quality solicitor in Andover, many advise that I must use a CQS assured solicitor. Can you explain what CQS is?

Andover Conveyancing Quality Scheme law firms have achieved certification by the law Society The Law Society introduced CQS to establish evidence of quality standards in the in the legal transfer of properties. CQS enables buyers and sellers to recognise practices that provide a quality residential conveyancing. Andover is one of locations in England and Wales in which accredited firms have a presence. The scheme obliges practices to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-reporting, spot checks and yearly assessments in order to maintain CQS status. It is open only to members of the Law Society who meet the demanding standards set by the scheme and has the support of the Association of British Insurers.

Do I choose a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Andover?

There are many registered licenced Conveyancers in Andover and Solicitor firms in Andover to choose from We would stress that the two are regulated professionals specialising in the legal work in the home buying process. Both can conduct other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.

My stepmother pointed out to me me that in buying a property in Andover there may be a number of restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external alterations to the property. Is this right?

We are aware of anumerous of properties in Andover which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Andover should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I'm in the process of viewing houses in Andover and I am about to put in an offer. Is it advisable to have a conveyancer on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland.

It would be sensible to commence your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the selling agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I was advised by numerous property agents in Andover to find a conveyancer on your site. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to market your lawyers over and above another?

We don’t give any referral fee for directing people in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

In my capacity as executor for the estate of my uncle I am selling a property in Cardiff but reside in Andover. My solicitor (based 250 miles awayneeds me to execute a stat dec prior to completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Andover who can witness and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are located in Andover

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Andover with the aim of saving time on the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Andover can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
The majority of freeholders or managing agents in Andover charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Andover. If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Andover state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such works. Should you fail to have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in the first instance. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you have the original share certificate. Arranging a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming process and slows down many a Andover conveyancing transaction. If a new share certificate is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

Andover Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

Who manages the building? Many Andover leasehold properties will incur a service bill for maintenance of the building levied by the landlord. If you buy the flat you will have to meet this charge, normally quarterly during the year. This may be anything from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. There will also be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a large figure, say around £25-£75 but you should to check it because sometimes it can be prohibitively expensive. Please tell me if there are any major works on the horizon that will likely add a premium to the maintenance costs?