After what seems like an age a mortgage offer from NatWest for the remortgage of my 4 room flat is due imminently. Can you put forward a low cost conveyancing lawyer in Henleaze?

This site is not designed to assist those in pursuit of cut-price fees for conveyancing in Henleaze. We can offer you excellent value conveyancing but we do not work with the cheapest lawyers. Avoid the trap of appointing brokers teasing you with £99 conveyancing in Henleaze. The optimum outcome, in going for low cost conveyancing, you will get your money’s worth and at worst it will result in you with a surprising uplift in additional fees and still not end up with the service you were looking for.

We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Henleaze and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a nationwide conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Henleaze. We have lived in Henleaze for six years we know that this is a non issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification that the buyers are looking for.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm already. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)

How does conveyancing in Henleaze differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Henleaze approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is built. This is because new home sellers in Henleaze tend to acquire the land, 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 property lawyers 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 Henleaze or who has acted in the same development.

I am looking at a two apartments in Henleaze both have about fifty years left on the lease term. Do I need to be concerned?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold flat in Henleaze is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the value of the property. The majority of purchasers and banks, leases with under eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Henleaze conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Henleaze Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

The majority of Henleaze leasehold properties will have a service bill for maintenance of the block levied on behalf of the management company. If you purchase the flat you will have to meet this charge, usually periodically throughout the year. This may be anything from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common grounds. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay annual, this is usually not a exorbitant sum, say around £25-£75 but you need to enquire it because sometimes it can be prohibitively expensive. Who is in charge of the building? Does the lease contain onerous restrictions?

Me and my partner have just had an offer accepted on our 1st home in Henleaze, and are about to get solicitors appointed. I have utilised the numerous rating tools and the quotes are from all across the the UK. Is it necessary to have a Henleaze solicitor local to your prospective property? We are happy to do all the communicating over the internet, but I assume at some stage we may need to physically go into the lawyer's office to sign documents?

Usually there is no requirement to attend the office of your conveyancing practitioner, they can post any relevant documents to you, which you can sign and return. Many buyers and sellers choose to use a locally based solicitor, but it is not a prerequisite for conveyancing in Henleaze.