A relative advised me that if I am buying in Emersons Green I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Emersons Green conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Emersons Green around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Emersons Green Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Emersons Green.

three months have gone by following my purchase conveyancing in Emersons Green concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

How does conveyancing in Emersons Green differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Emersons Green contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is ready to move into. This is because developers in Emersons Green tend to acquire the site, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Emersons Green or who has acted in the same development.

As co-executor for the will of my grandmother I am disposing of a house in Swansea but reside in Emersons Green. My solicitor (who is 260 kilometers from meneeds me to execute a statutory declaration prior to the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Emersons Green who can attest this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Emersons Green based

I am a negotiator for a reputable estate agent office in Emersons Green where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales jeopardised as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local Emersons Green conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Emersons Green Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

It would be prudent to discover as much as you can concerning the company managing the block as they will either make your life much easier or problematic. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to day to day issues such as the tidiness of the common parts. Enquire of other people whether they are happy with them. Finally, be sure you understand the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the relevant party and specifically how they are spending that money. It is important to be aware if a new roof is being installed or some other major work is anticipated to be shared by the tenants and could well materially increase the the service fees or necessitate a specific invoice. Please note if it is no more than eighty years it will affect the salability of the property. It is worth checking with your bank that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. For most Emersons Greenlease extensions you would need to own the residence for two years before you are eligible to extend the lease.