As someone not used to conveyancing in Cranleigh what’s your top tip you can impart concerning the legal transfer of property in Cranleigh

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Cranleigh or throughout Surrey is often a confrontational process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the legal transfer of property. For instance, the vendor, property agent and sometimes the lender. Appointing a lawyer for your conveyancing in Cranleigh is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE party in the process whose role it is to act in your best interests and to protect you.

We are witnessing a worrying creep of a "blame" culture- someone has to be blamed for the process taking so long. You your first instinct should be to trust your conveyancer ahead of all other players when it comes to the legal assignment of property.

My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Edwardian house in Cranleigh. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Lloyds TSB Bank. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching property. Is it worth asking Lloyds TSB Bank to clarify?

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for 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 Cranleigh and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the position with your conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.

I was advised by a few estate agents in Cranleigh to find a property lawyer on your site. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to recommend your lawyers over alternative conveyancing organisations?

We don’t make any financial incentive for pointing buyers and sellers in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand a fee because a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

Completion is due on the sale of our £175,000 flat in Cranleigh on Thursday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £384 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Cranleigh?

Cranleigh conveyancing on leasehold flats often involves the buyer’s conveyancer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries the majority will be willing to do so. They are at liberty to invoice a reasonable administration fee for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it exceeds £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, otherwise the charge is technically not due. In reality one has little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Cranleigh - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying

You should want to find out as much as possible about the managing agents as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day issues like the upkeep of the communal areas. Enquire of other people what they think of their management. On a final note, find out the dates that the service fees are due to the relevant party and specifically what it includes. The best form of lease structure is where the freehold reversion is owned by the leaseholders. In this situation the tenants have control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently employed where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent employed by the leaseholders. Please note that where the lease has fewer than eighty years it will affect the value of the property. It is worth checking with your bank that they are content with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will most likely need a lease extension at some point and it is worth finding out how much this would cost. For most Cranleighlease extensions you would be required to have been the owner of the residence for 24 months before you are legally able to carry out a lease extension.

What is the reason for my property lawyer requiring numerous items of ID ahead of starting my conveyancing in Cranleigh?

Cranleigh conveyancing practitioners are required by the Law Society, Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Land Registry and current AML Regulations to certify that the have verified the identity of their clients. It will also be a requirement of your lender if you are taking a mortgage. In addition they have to complete various forms, particularly those relating to Land Tax and need to have information such as your full names, NI number and date of birth.