IfI were to buy a straightforward housein Duston for cash and dispense with a survey and no local authority searches how much would I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Duston?

The only reduction in fees you would achieve is the Duston conveyancing searches. The property lawyer still got to do everything else - money laundering, correspond with the vendors conveyancing practitioner, SDLT return, register the ownership etc. You might save a bit for them not having to register a charge however it will not be meaningful.

My Solicitor in Duston is not listed on the Chelsea Building Society Conveyancing Panel. Can I still use my family solicitor even though they are excluded from the Chelsea Building Society list of approved lawyers?

Your options are as follows:

1. Complete the purchase with your preferred Duston solicitors but Chelsea Building Society will need to use a conveyancer on their panel. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing charges and result in delays.
2. Get an alternative practitioner to to deal with the purchase, not forgetting to check they are Chelsea Building Society approved.
3. Persuade your Chelsea Building Society based solicitor to try to join the Chelsea Building Society panel

My colleague advised me that if I am purchasing in Duston I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is usually included in the estimate for your Duston conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Duston around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Duston.

I have been advised by numerous selling agents in Duston to choose a conveyancer on your site. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to promote your services ahead of a competitor’s?

We refuse to give any commission for pointing buyers and sellers to this site. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Duston. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Duston - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

How much is the service charge and ground rent on the property? How long is the Lease? Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the leaseholders?