The deeds to my property can not be found. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Charmouth 4 years ago no longer exist. What are my next steps?

Gone are the days when you need to have the physical deeds to establish that you are the registered proprietor of land or premises, given that the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Charmouth I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Charmouth in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

In surfing the world wide web for the term on line conveyancing in Charmouth it shows results of many property lawyersin the vicinity. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right conveyancing solicitor for purchase transaction?

The ideal method of seeking a suitable conveyancer is via personal referral, so seek the opinion of colleagues and family who have bought a property in Charmouth or a respected estate agent or financial adviser. Costs for conveyancing in Charmouth vary, so it's advisable to obtain a minimum of three costs illustrations from varying types of conveyancers. Be sure to obtain confirmation what costs in the quote includes.

I've found a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have just found out that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Charmouth. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Charmouth are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Charmouth so you should seriously consider looking for a Charmouth conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your conveyancer should report to you on the legal implications.

Charmouth Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should consider before buying

Many Charmouth leasehold apartments will have a service charge for maintenance of the building levied by the management company. Should you acquire the flat you will have to pay this contribution, usually quarterly during the year. This could vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge to be met annual, ordinarily this is not a large figure, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to check it because on occasion it could be prohibitively expensive. You should want to discover as much as possible regarding the company managing the block as they will either make your living at the property much simpler or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily matters such as the upkeep of the communal areas. Ask other tenants what they think of their management. In conclusion, be sure you understand the dates that the maintenance charges are due to the relevant party and specifically how they are spending that money. How many years remain on the lease?

I bought a house in Charmouth last 17/9/2024 and to date it is still not recorded with the Land Registry. It is part of a development site and my lawyer told me that it can take twelve months to complete the registration formalities. I have spoken with HM Land Registry directly and they say that the initial application was cancelled due to questions not being addressed in time. What can I do?

Call your conveyancer - if you are not getting sensible responses, find out about their firm’s complaints protocol and escalate your problem to a Complaints Manager. Registrations for Charmouth conveyancing are not known to be especially complex.