Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to pop into the offices of the solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Bedford so that I can pop in to their offices when needed.

Whereas this was necessary 12 years ago, most mortgage companies no longer oblige their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the mortgagors signature. You will still be obliged to hand over identification documents and there are still manifest advantages to using a locally based solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Bedford.

Will commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that may impact a commercial estate in Bedford?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Bedford will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers spend in looking into accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Bedford. The search result sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Bedford.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Bedford it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately can cause delays to Bedford commercial conveyancing transactions as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not ordered for residential conveyancing in Bedford.

I have recentlybeen informed that Stirling Law have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Bedford for a purchase of a freehold house 12 months ago. How can I establish that the property is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest method to see if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Bedford conveyancing specialists.

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Bedford ahead of instructing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies tend refuse to grant a mortgage on such a premises.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different instructions from Halifax. If you call us we can look into this further with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Bedford. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Bedford to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agent office in Bedford where we see a number of flat sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have been given contradictory information from local Bedford conveyancing firms. Can you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to wait 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 buyer.

I acquired a studio flat in Bedford, conveyancing was carried out 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? Comparable flats in Bedford with over 90 years remaining are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 charged once a year. The lease expires on 21st October 2084

With just 60 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £20,000 and £23,000 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.