Is there a reason why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Dorset is more expensive?

Dorset leasehold conveyancing transactions usually involve additional investigations than freeholds including investigating the Lease, liaising with the Landlord such as serving appropriate notices on the Landlord or managing agent, obtaining up-to-date service charge and management information, obtaining Landlord’s consents and reviewing management accounts and formation documents.

I'm the single recipient of my late grandmother’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Dorset. The Dorset property was put into my name in September. I want to move. I understand that there is a CML 6 month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship will be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the house in September. Do I have to wait half a year to sell?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook obliges solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you could be caught by that. How practical a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the lender as this obligation is chiefly there to pick up on subsales or the quick reselling of properties.

Is there a list of HSBC panel solicitors in Dorset on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of mortgage companies make their panel listings visible on the web. If you are seeking to appoint a Dorset conveyancer on the HSBC please use our tool.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Dorset. My financial adviser suggested a property lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £150. A couple of days later, the lawyer called me to say that they were not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Lloyds panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Just bought a terraced house in Dorset , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to deal with the formalities evidencing the transfer to my name? My Dorset conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be sure that my name is recorded.

As far as conveyancing in Dorset is concerned, registration is no faster or slower than the rest of England and Wales. Rather than based on location, timescales can differ according to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry have to notify any 3rd parties. At present approximately 80% of such applications are fully dealt with within 12 days but occasionally there can be extensive hold-ups. Historically registration takes place after the purchaser has moved in to the property so post completion formalities is not always an essential issue but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your solicitor should contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one near me in Dorset I like with a park and railway links nearby, however it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Dorset in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.

Can you clarify the aspects of conveyancing offered by Dorset conveyancing organisations?

By and large Dorset conveyancing organisations can handle a number of services to domestic and agricultural land owners, sellers, investors, freeholders and tenants and you can expect them to offer expert advice on some of the following services:

Private sale conveyancing in Dorset or beyond Home purchase conveyancing in Dorset and countrywide Staircasing i.e. buying extra shares of a property that has been purchased through a shared ownership scheme Council home conveyancing by virtue of right to buy legislation purchase, disposal and subdivision of land Residential conveyancing using Islamic Mortgages