How up to date is your search tool for Chandlers Ford conveyancing solicitors on the RBS conveyancing panel? Do RBS send you an updated list?

Chandlers Ford conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the RBS conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from RBS directly.

We previously selected conveyancing lawyers with offices in Chandlers Ford on the Skipton solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a separate fee for handling the Skipton mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Skipton?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancer can charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Skipton but by your Chandlers Ford conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Skipton panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

I'm spending time looking at flats in Chandlers Ford and I am about to put in an offer. Is it wise to have a solicitor on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a home loan with Kent Reliance.

It would be sensible to instigate your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with Kent Reliance, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

About to purchase maisonette in Chandlers Ford. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Skipton conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Chandlers Ford conveyancing practitioner is on the Skipton conveyancing panel.

The deeds to our property are lost. The conveyancers who did the conveyancing in Chandlers Ford 4 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?

Assuming you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be evidenced by HMLR with a Title Number. It is possible to execute a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and get current copies of the property title for a small fee. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for a small fee.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a quick, no chain conveyancing. Chandlers Ford is the location of the property. Can you offer any advice?

Flying freeholds in Chandlers Ford are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Chandlers Ford you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Chandlers Ford may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Chandlers Ford from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Chandlers Ford can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over rather than unresolved. The majority of landlords or Management Companies in Chandlers Ford levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Chandlers Ford. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Chandlers Ford leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Should you dont have the approvals in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in advance. Some Chandlers Ford leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet 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 lawyers.

Chandlers Ford Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

What restrictions are contained in the Chandlers Ford Lease? Please note if it is fewer than eighty years it will affect the value of the apartment. Check with your bank that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth finding out what this will be. For most Chandlers Fordlease extensions you will need to own the property for a couple of years before you are entitled to carry out a lease extension. This information is helpful as a) areas can result in problems for the block as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will wish to have complete disclosure