My friend's sister is a property lawyer. I suspect that I will receive friends and family fee for conveyancing, However if that does not come through, what kind of costs should I be paying for conveyancing in Caversham?

Do contrast pricing. Do use our search tool on this page. You will notice that prices do vary but the service one can expect are distinct between solicitors as is the case with the vast majority of professional services.

I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Caversham for our home move. Our financial adviser has since advised us that our bank Yorkshire Building Society won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unfair competition?

A mortgage company can direct that an approved solicitor act for it. You would be liable to bear the charges for this. Please make use of our directory service to find a solicitor to carry conveyancing in Caversham on the Yorkshire Building Society conveyancing panel.

My partner and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Caversham and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using an online conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Caversham. Having lived in Caversham for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You need to enquire of 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)

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one close by in Caversham I like with open areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Caversham suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

I am employed by a busy estate agent office in Caversham where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Caversham conveyancing firms. Please can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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.

Caversham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

The best form of lease arrangement is if the freehold title is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the lessees enjoy control and although a managing agent is frequently employed if the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Be sure to discover if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Caversham. If you love the apartmentin Caversham however your dog can’t move with you then you will be faced difficult compromise. The answer will be important as a) areas may cause problems in the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will want to have all the details