My IFA says he needs my Cowes law firm’s panel member for the Lloyds conveyancing panel. How do I find this out. I have e-mailed my local Cowes office but they cant find it on their system.

You are best placed to get this information from your Cowes conveyancing practitioner . They should have a central record lender panel numbers.

It is is a decade since I acquired my home in Cowes. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been appointed on the sale but I am unable to locate my deeds. Will this cause complications?

Don’t worry too much. First the deeds may be with the lender or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Cowes involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Cowes?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Cowes. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

What does commercial conveyancing in Cowes cover?

Cowes conveyancing for business premises incorporates a broad range of services, given by regulated solicitors, relating to business property. By way of example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more usually, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of leases.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £325,000 apartment in Cowes in seven days. The landlords agents has quoted £396 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Cowes?

Cowes conveyancing on leasehold flats usually involves the buyer’s lawyer sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer these enquiries the majority will be content to do so. They may charge a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some transactions it exceeds £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, otherwise the invoice is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that one has little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to sell the property.

Cowes Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

Is the freehold owned collectively by the leaseholders? The majority of Cowes leasehold apartments will have a service charge for maintenance of the building invoiced on behalf of the management company. Should you acquire the property you will have to meet this liability, normally in instalments throughout the year. This can differ from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal areas. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a large figure, say around £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because sometimes it could be prohibitively expensive.