I am buying a house without a mortgage in Kings Heath. I have resided for the previous Seventeen years in Kings Heath. Conveyancing searches are expensive. As I have knowledge of the area and road intimately should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

In the absence of a home loan, then almost all of the Kings Heath conveyancing searches are optional. Your lawyer will ’encourage you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches completed, but she is duty bound to take that path of encouragement . One thing to consider; if you are intend to sell the house in the future, it may be of interest to your future purchaser what the searches reveal. On occasion houses with apparent issues can still show up unpredicted search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Kings Heath should provide you some constructive advice in this regard.

We are purchasing a house in Kings Heath. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we have to put our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

We are purchasing a end of terrace house in Kings Heath. Our aim is to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will legal investigations on the property include checks to determine if these works are prohibited?

Your property lawyer will review the registered title as conveyancing in Kings Heath will occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which prevent certain changes or need the consent of a 3rd party. Certain extensions call for local authority planning consent and approval under the building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be prudent to check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Kent Reliance, do Kings Heath solicitors face 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 levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

How does conveyancing in Kings Heath differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Kings Heath approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because house builders in Kings Heath typically buy the site, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Kings Heath or who has acted in the same development.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on two weeks back in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Kings Heath is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Kings Heath are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Kings Heath you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Kings Heath may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Kings Heath from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Kings Heath can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
Many freeholders or managing agents in Kings Heath charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Kings Heath. If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Kings Heath leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord consenting to such works. Should you fail to have the approvals in place do not contact the landlord without contacting your solicitor first. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a re-issued share certificate is often a lengthy process and slows down many a Kings Heath home move. Where a reissued share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible.

I invested in buying a split level flat in Kings Heath, conveyancing having been completed 8 years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent flats in Kings Heath with an extended lease are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease ends on 21st October 2097

With just 72 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.