Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to visit the offices of the solicitor to sign the legal charge? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Kirkby Lonsdale so that I can pop in to their offices when needed.

Whereas this was necessary ten years ago, almost all lenders no longer oblige their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to hand over identification documents and there are still manifest benefits to using a local solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Kirkby Lonsdale.

I am helping my niece sell her house in Kirkby Lonsdale. Will the conveyancer commission the EPC or it is for the owner to see to?

After the demise of Home Information Packs, EPC’s was left as a required element of selling a property. An energy performance certificate must be to hand prior to the property being marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that solicitors normally arrange. If you are using a Kirkby Lonsdale conveyancing lawyer they may be willing to arrange energy assessments given their relationships with long established local assessors

Have just purchased a repossessed house at auction in Kirkby Lonsdale. Conveyancing is necessary. What is next?

Now that you are exchanged you must hire the services of a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you will have a tight a fixed date to complete the purchase. All auction property should have a corresponding auction pack. This should include most,if not all of the documents that your lawyer requires. In the case of leasehold property the auction papers should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation pertinent to a leasehold property. You should give this to the lawyer instructed by you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that that you have the requisite funding in order to complete on the date specified in the contract.

I have paid off my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Kirkby Lonsdale property lawyer on the Nationwide panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Nationwide 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 Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, 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 Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Is it possible to swap conveyancer as I need to retain one who is on the Barclays conveyancing list. I was using a local conveyancing solicitor in Kirkby Lonsdale five minutes from me but the firm is not accepted by Barclays

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Kirkby Lonsdale on the Barclays panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we list do not pay us commission if you instruct them and are fully regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Kirkby Lonsdale. In utilising search facility on this page, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Kirkby Lonsdale.

My husband and I are new to the buying process - agreed a price, but the selling agent told us that the vendor will only move forward if we appoint the agent's recommended lawyers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street conveyancer used to conveyancing in Kirkby Lonsdale

It is highly unlikely the sellers are behind this. If they desire ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated buyer is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Speak to the vendors direct and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you intend to instruct your own,trusted Kirkby Lonsdale conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will give the estate agent a kickback or hit his conveyancing thresholds set by HQ.

I am looking at a couple of flats in Kirkby Lonsdale which have approximately fifty years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold flat in Kirkby Lonsdale is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The nearer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the marketability of the property. For most purchasers and mortgage companies, leases with under 75 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 Kirkby Lonsdale 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 any new 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.

Kirkby Lonsdale Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

You will want to find out as much as you can concerning the managing agents as they can either make your living at the property much easier or uncomfortable. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day issues like the cleanliness of the common parts. Enquire of other tenants what they think of their service. On a final note, find out the dates that the maintenance charges are due to the relevant party and precisely how they are spending that money. Are there any major works anticipated that could add a premium to the service fees?