We see that you have a search directory identifying firms on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I retain them for our own conveyancing in Birchington?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Birchington.

I have been told by my lawyer that flying freehold insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Birchington?

The right level of flying freehold indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Birmingham Midshires and Coventry Building Society. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Birchington solicitor - who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Co-operative will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Co-operative will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Birchington surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Birchington agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on a flat, however it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have instructed a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Birchington. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with Nottingham going?

It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (home loan application is approx one thousand pounds, then valuation, Birchington conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you should check that your solicitor is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. As to the next phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your case, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market some buyers will apply for the mortgage with Nottingham and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their conveyancing practitioner to press on with the conveyancing in Birchington.

I have justbeen informed that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Birchington for a purchase of a leasehold flat 18 months ago. How can I establish that the property is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest method to see if the property is in your name, you can carry out 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 Birchington conveyancing specialists.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Birchington from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Birchington can be reduced where you instruct lawyers the minute 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.
A minority of Birchington leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share certificate. Arranging a new share certificate is often a lengthy process and frustrates many a Birchington conveyancing transaction. If a duplicate share certificate is required, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later. If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge 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 present the dispute as over as opposed to ongoing.

Birchington Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

How much is the yearly service fee and ground rent? The prefered form of lease arrangement is where the freehold title is owned by the leaseholders. In this situation the lessees have being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is usually retained where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. For many Birchington leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although some managing agents in Birchington ask tenants to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for major works.

How and when do I cover the costs of the Stamp Duty Land Tax payable for my conveyancing in Birchington?

The solicitor will complete a stamp duty return on your behalf as part of your Birchington purchase transaction for signature. After completion your conveyancer will submit your STL application to the Inland Revenue and - as long as they have the money - settle any land tax payable on your behalf.