IfI were to purchase a simple residential housein Branston for cash and dispense with a survey and no conveyancing searches how much should I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Branston?

The sole reduction in fees you would make on is the Branston conveyancing searches. Your conveyancer still got to do everything else - money laundering, liaising with the sellers conveyancer, SDLT submission, register the property etc. You might save a bit for them not needing to register a charge but it won't be significant.

A colleague suggested that where I am buying in Branston I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Branston conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Branston around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Branston Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Branston.

Am I right to be suspicious by 3rd parties that I am dealing with are suggesting a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a local Branston conveyancing practice?

As with lots of service providers, often recommendations from family and friends can be extremely useful or valuable. But there are lots of people with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies may put forward conveyancers to appoint. On occasion these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but occasionally there exists a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are free to choose your preferred conveyancer. Don't forget that some mortgage providers operate an approved list of conveyancers you have to use for the mortgage aspect of your house move.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Branston conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Branston conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non Branston conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be of use:

What are the charges for lease extension work? How familiar is the practice with lease extension legislation?

Branston Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

On the whole the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although a few managing agents in Branston require leaseholders to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance. The answer will be important as a) areas can cause problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will want to have complete disclosure

Would local authority consent be necessary to split a single dwelling into two appartments in Branston? This has occurred to a property opposite to my home in Branston and was unaware of the conversion until it was finished.

Planning consent is necessary for splitting a single dwelling in Branston into apartments but possibly not for reverting back to single dwelling-house so, in answer to your query, yes,a it is required.