My brother and I have just bought a property in Laindon. We have since encountered a number of issues with the house which we suspect were missed in the conveyancing searches. Do we have any recourse? What searches should? have been ordered as part of conveyancing in Laindon?

The query is not clear as to the nature of the problems and if they are unique to conveyancing in Laindon. Conveyancing searches and investigations initiated as part of the buying process are carried out to help avoid problems. As part of the process, a property owner answers a questionnaire referred to as a Seller’s Property Information Form. answers proves to be misleading, you may have a misrepresentation claim against the vendor for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Laindon.

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

If you are buying a property in Laindon your lawyer will request that you place them with funds to cover the search fees. Normally this is called for to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. When the down payment is as part of the sale price then this will be asked for shortly ahead of exchange of contracts. Any further balance that is due will be payable shortly before completion.

I am helping my sister sell her flat in Laindon. Does the conveyancing solicitor commission an energy assessment or should I organise this?

After the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy performance certificates was left as a required element of selling a house. An energy assessment should be to hand prior to the property being marketed. It is not something that lawyers normally arrange. Where you are instructing a Laindon conveyancing lawyer they may be willing to arrange energy assessments due to their relationships with reputable Laindon accredited person

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Laindon. I have a mortgage offer with Nationwide. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Nationwide, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Laindon. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £175. A couple of days later, the conveyancer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nationwide panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I'm buying my first flat in Laindon with a mortgage from Virgin Money. The developers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about the extras as it will put at risk my loan with Virgin Money. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

Completion is due on the disposal of our £300,000 apartment in Laindon next Monday. The freeholder has quoted £360 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Laindon?

For the majority of leasehold sales in Laindon conveyancing will involve, queries regarding the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

Addressing pre-contract enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Laindon Copies of the building insurance and schedule Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Laindon leasehold property is £350. For Laindon 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 supply answers.

Laindon Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

This information is important as a) areas may cause problems for the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate where services are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to know about it Be sure to investigate if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. By way of example it is fairly common in Laindon leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Laindon. If you like the apartmentin Laindon yet your dog can’t move with you then you will be faced hard choice. You should be aware if it is less than eighty years it will affect the marketability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will probably require a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this will be. For most Laindonlease extensions you would need to own the premises for two years in order to be eligible to exercise a lease extension.