We are purchasing a terrace house in Brownhills. Our aim is to convert the garage to an office at the property.Will the conveyancing process involve checks to see if these alterations are allowed?

Your solicitor will review the registered title as conveyancing in Brownhills will on occasion identify restrictions in the title documents which restrict categories of alterations or need the consent of a 3rd party. Many works need local authority planning consent and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. It would be prudent to check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

I am being told by my lawyer that missing deeds insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Brownhills conveyancing?

The right level of missing deeds indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Birmingham Midshires and Virgin Money. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such insurances.

We had instructed solicitors based in Brownhills on the RBS solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me an additional fee for the legal aspects of the RBS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by RBS?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your solicitor can charge a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by RBS but by your Brownhills solicitor. Numerous firms on the RBS panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some practices include it on their overall fee.

What can a local search tell me about the house my wife and I purchasing in Brownhills?

Brownhills conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations such as Searchflow The local search is essential in every Brownhills conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search will reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject areas.

I have been pointed in your direction by a few selling agents in Brownhills to locate a conveyancer on your site. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to market your site over and above alternative conveyancing organisations?

We refuse to make any commission for pointing buyers and sellers to this site. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

Should I choose a Brownhills conveyancing lawyer based in the vicinity that I am purchasing? I have an old university friend who can conduct the legal formalities however his firm is located approximately 350kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a local Brownhills conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to execute paperwork, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local knowledge which is a plus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust instructed your friend and on the whole were impressed that must trump using an unfamiliar Brownhills conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Brownhills. Before I get started I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Brownhills - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Brownhills Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

This question is important as a) areas could result in problems in the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate if services remain unpaid b) if the tenants have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to know about it Many Brownhills leasehold apartments will have a service charge for maintenance of the building levied on behalf of the landlord. If you purchase the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, normally periodically during the year. This may vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal areas. There will also be a ground rent to be met annual, ordinarily this is not a significant sum, say around £50-£100 but you need to check it because occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds.