I am looking to buy a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in Corfe Castle who is on the Clydesdale solicitor. Can you recommend a local solicitor?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Clydesdale in certain locations such as Corfe Castle. We dont recommend any particular firm.

I currently have a mortgage with Clydesdale for my property in Corfe Castle. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Clydesdale?

You must advise Clydesdale before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Clydesdale’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Clydesdale directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Clydesdale conveyancing panel lawyer.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Corfe Castle. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

Having digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Corfe Castle solicitor - who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Skipton will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Skipton will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Corfe Castle surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Me and my brother purchased a terraced Victorian house in Corfe Castle. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Platform Home Loans Ltd. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Corfe Castle and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

How does conveyancing in Corfe Castle differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Corfe Castle come to us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is completed. This is because house builders in Corfe Castle typically purchase the real estate, 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 conveyancers 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 used to new build conveyancing in Corfe Castle or who has acted in the same development.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Corfe Castle from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Corfe Castle can be avoided if you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers’ lawyers.
You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable verify this via your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Corfe Castle state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such works. If you dont have the paperwork in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in the first instance. If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share certificate. Obtaining a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming process and slows down many a Corfe Castle conveyancing deal. If a reissued share is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible. Many landlords or managing agents in Corfe Castle levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Corfe Castle.

I bought a split level flat in Corfe Castle, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Similar flats in Corfe Castle with a long lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2075

With just 51 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £30,400 and £35,200 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.