I am helping my sister sell her property in Hartfield. Does the conveyancer order the energy assessment or should I organise this?

Following the abolition of HIPs, energy performance certificates was left as a required element of moving house. An energy performance certificate needs to be to hand prior to the property being marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that lawyers normally arrange. Where you are using a Hartfield conveyancing solicitor they might be able to arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with long established Hartfield accredited person

Can you point me to a directory of Clydesdale panel conveyancers in Hartfield on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

No. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of mortgage companies make their panel listings visible online. If you are looking for a Hartfield solicitor on the Clydesdale please use our facility.

I have instructed a Hartfield lawyer having checked that they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Kent Reliance will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Kent Reliance will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Hartfield surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home are lost. The lawyers who dealt with the conveyancing in Hartfield 10 years ago no longer exist. What are my next steps?

You no longer need to hold title official documentation to evidence that you own the land or property, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Hartfield I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Hartfield suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.

Do I need to be concerned by estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an internet conveyancing firm rather than a local Hartfield conveyancing firm?

As with lots of professional services, often referrals from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. But there are lots of players in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, financial adviser and lenders might all put forward solicitors to select. Sometimes the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there may be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You are free to appoint your preferred lawyer. However, bear in mind that some lenders operate an approved list of solicitors you are obliged to use for the lender aspect of your home move.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Hartfield. Conveyancing and The Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in Hartfield who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?

First make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Hartfield conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Hartfield Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before buying

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability? Is there a share of the freehold?