Why do I have to pay up front for my conveyancing in Handsworth?

If you are buying a property in Handsworth your solicitor will ask you to provide them with monies to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. When the deposit is payable against the sale price then this will be asked for shortly in advance of contracts are exchanged. The closing balance that is needed should be sent to your lawyer shortly before completion.

I have been referred to a conveyancing solicitor in Handsworth. I I would like to check whether they are accepted on the HSBC Bank conveyancing panel. Can you assist?

The first thing you should do is phone the solicitor and ask them if they are on the lender panel. Alternatively you should get in touch with HSBC Bank who may be able to help.

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Handsworth. Conveyancing is required. What is next?

Having exchanged you should retain a conveyancing lawyer soon as you now have a fast approaching a fixed date to complete the deal. An auction property will have an associated auction pack. This will include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the legal pack should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation specific to a leasehold property. You need to hand this to the lawyer working for you as soon as possible. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding organised to complete on the date specified in the contract.

When it comes to lenders such as Principality, do Handsworth solicitors have to pay a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are unaware of any lender fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Co-operative. I assume I don't need a Handsworth lawyer on the Co-operative panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Co-operative mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Co-operative mortgage from the register. Co-operative, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Co-operative has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Co-operative has instructed the Land Registry to do so

The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Co-operative mortgage has been paid off.

I decided to have a survey done on a house in Handsworth in advance of instructing conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. My surveyor has said that some banks will not give a loan on such a premises.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can look into this further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Handsworth. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Handsworth especially if they are familiar with such properties in Handsworth.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the sale of our £375,000 flat in Handsworth next week. The landlords agents has quoted £300 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Handsworth?

Handsworth conveyancing on leasehold apartments nine out of ten times results in fees being levied by landlords agents :

Answering pre-exchange enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Handsworth Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Handsworth leasehold property is £350. For Handsworth conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide answers.

I bought a leasehold flat in Handsworth, conveyancing formalities finalised January 2005. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Handsworth with a long lease are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2089

With only 64 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £15,200 and £17,600 plus legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.