The owners of the house we are hoping to buy hired a conveyancing firm in Brighton who has insisted on a lock out contract with a deposit of 5k. Are such agreements sensible?
Lock out agreements are contracts binding a home vendor and prospective acquirer granting the buyer the sole right to the sale of the premises for a limited period of time. For all intents and purposes, a lock out is a document stating that you should have a contract at a later time being the main conveyancing contract. It tends to be utilised for buyer confidence though in some cases, the proprietor may stand to benefit from such agreements as well. There are numerous positives and negatives to using them but you should to check with your lawyer but beware that it may end up incurring more in conveyancing fees. For this these contracts are not popular when it comes to conveyancing in Brighton.
I am intent on selling our home in Brighton and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed a national conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Brighton. Having lived in Brighton for 4 years we know of no issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to get confirmation need.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You need to check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Brighton I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Brighton suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?
Should you require a home loan that many years will likely be an issue. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.
How straightforward is it to use the search facility to find a conveyancing lawyer in Brighton on the authorised to act for my lender?
First pick a mortgage company such as Yorkshire Building Society, Chelsea Building Society or Bank of Ireland then type in your location for example Brighton. Conveyancing organisations in Brighton and beyond will then be listed.
Developers have recommended to me a conveyancer and I've obtained an estimate from them. It's nearly £400 less expensive than my family Brighton property lawyer. What's the catch?
Developers often have panels of solicitors who expedite matters and who know the developer’s paperwork and property lawyer. Plenty of developers offer an incentive to use their approved solicitor for this reason, any increased charges can be avoided and a builder won't recommend a conveyancing warehouse and run the risk of having the transaction delayed when they want exchange within a tight time frame. A counter-argument for not agreeing to use the recommended conveyancing practitioner is that they may be reluctant to fight for your interests for fear of alienating the developer. If you worry that this may be the case you should keep with your high street Brighton property lawyer.