Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as a first time purchaser of a garden flat in Halesowen. Do I collect the keys to the property on completion from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Halesowen?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the purchase money to the seller's lawyers, and once they have received this, you should be invited to pick up the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.

We are purchasing a 3 bedroom semi in Halesowen. We would like to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will legal work on the property involve checks to see if these works are prohibited?

Your property lawyer should check the deeds as conveyancing in Halesowen can occasionally identify restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit certain alterations or necessitated the permission of another owner. Some works require local authority planning consent and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.

I have been advised by my lawyer that lack of planning permission insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Halesowen?

The appropriate level of lack of planning permission indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Nationwide Building Society and The Mortgage Works. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to borrowers take out such insurances.

How does conveyancing in Halesowen differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Halesowen approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because developers in Halesowen usually acquire 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Halesowen or who has acted in the same development.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one close by in Halesowen I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Halesowen suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.

I am intending to sublet my leasehold flat in Halesowen. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

A small minority of properties in Halesowen do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

Halesowen Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask before buying

Is there a share of the freehold? Best to be warned whether window replacement or some other major work is anticipated to be shared between the leaseholders and could well dramatically increase the the maintenance charges or result in a specific payment. Please note that where the lease has less than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the flat. Check with your mortgage company 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 you need to have some idea of how much this will be. For most Halesowenlease extensions you will need to own the premises for 24 months before you are legally able to exercise a lease extension.

Is there a reason that Halesowen conveyancing charges are higher for leasehold and freehold properties?

If acquiring a leasehold property there is more work involved purely due to the fact that usually there are further parties involved in the form of the freeholder and/or Management Agents. As part of a lawyers enquiries they will check that all ground rent and service charges are paid up to date amongst other general leasehold matters. For this reason, the Sellers lawyers usually have to refer to the freeholder or Managing Agent for their replies to our questions. This may be time consuming and beyond the lawyers control