It has been 3 months following my purchase conveyancing in Grasmere took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. 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 premises 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 Grasmere differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Grasmere contact us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is completed. This is because developers in Grasmere usually buy the real estate, 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 conveyancers 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 used to new build conveyancing in Grasmere or who has acted in the same development.

Am I better off to appoint a Grasmere conveyancing practitioner based in the vicinity that I am buying? We have a good friend who can perform the legal formalities but they are based over three hundred kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a high street Grasmere conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to sign paperwork, deliver your identification documents and pester them if necessary. Having local Grasmere know how is a bonus. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who instructed your friend and in the main were happy that should trump using an unfamiliar Grasmere conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being round the corner.

I work for a busy estate agency in Grasmere where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local Grasmere conveyancing firms. Please can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence 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 for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

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.

Grasmere Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Is there a share of the freehold? What is the yearly service fee and ground rent?

A conveyancing company handled my conveyancing in Grasmere 5 years past and was holding my deeds but has since been shut down – how do I get hold of them?

Title deeds, as such, are no longer appropriate for the majority of homes in Grasmere are registered digitally at Land Registry. If you need to prove ownership or are selling or re-mortgaging your solicitor can obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned as quickly as possible.