I am acquiring a property mortgage free in Chesham. I have been residing for the previous Seventeen years in Chesham. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. As I have knowledge of the area and road intimately should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

In the absence of a home loan, then all but one or two of the Chesham conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your conveyancer will 'advise', no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches done, but she has a professional duty to do this. Do take into account; if you are intend to dispose of the house at a future date, it may be of interest to your future purchaser what the searches determine. Sometimes premises with day to day issues can still throw up unfavourable search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Chesham should be able to give you some sensible guidance here.

My husband and I are purchasing a newbuild apartment in Chesham with a mortgage from Coventry Building Society.We like our Chesham conveyancing solicitor but Coventry Building Society informed us his firm is not on their "panel". We have to appoint a Coventry Building Society panel firm or retain our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The mortgage issued to you contains terms and conditions, a common one being that conveyancers needs to be on the Coventry Building Society approved list. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Coventry Building Society

How does conveyancing in Chesham differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Chesham contact us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because builders in Chesham typically purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Chesham or who has acted in the same development.

Given that I am about to part with hundreds of thousands of pounds on a two bedroom apartment in Chesham I wish to have a conversation with the solicitor concerning theconveyancing ahead of appointing the firm. Can this be arranged?

Absolutely - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the solicitor who will be conducting your conveyancing in Chesham.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique individual, not a file number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Chesham should be the figure that you are charged.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Chesham. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Chesham are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Chesham in which case you should be shopping around for a Chesham conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will report to you on the legal implications.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Chesham - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

What is the name of the managing agents? Where a Chesham lease has less than 80 years it will affect the value of the apartment. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the premises for a couple of years before you are eligible to extend the lease. How many years remain on the lease?