Last September we completed a house move in Limbury. We have since encountered a number of problems with the property which we believe were missed in the conveyancing searches. Do we have any recourse? What searches should? have been conducted for conveyancing in Limbury?

It is not clear from the question as to the nature of the problems and if they are specific to conveyancing in Limbury. Conveyancing searches and investigations initiated as part of the legal transfer of property are designed to help avoid problems. As part of the process, the vendor fills in a form referred to as a Seller’s Property Information Form. If the information provided is incorrect, 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 Limbury.

As someone clueless as to conveyancing in Limbury what’s your top tip you can impart concerning the ownership transfer in Limbury

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Limbury and elsewhere in Bedfordshire is often a confrontational process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists an abundance of room for friction between you and others involved in the legal transfer of property. For instance, the seller, selling agent and on occasion your mortgage company. Choosing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Limbury should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE person in the transaction whose responsibility is to protect your best interests and to keep you safe.

There is a distinct ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone must be at fault for the process being so protracted. We recommend that you your first instinct should be to trust your conveyancer above all other players when it comes to the legal assignment of property.

About to place an offer on a leasehold flat in Limbury. The estate agents say that it is usual for flats in Limbury to have less than 75 years remaining. I am obtaining a loan with Chelsea Building Society. Is this going to be acceptable if the lease has Seventy One years to go.

Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are obtaining a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 23/11/2023 the requirements read as follows :

Me and my partner are buying a property in Limbury. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to put money into their account. What is the protection 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 previously instructed conveyancers based in Limbury on the Leeds Building Society solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a supplemental sum for the legal aspects of the Leeds Building Society mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Leeds Building Society?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your property lawyer can charge a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Leeds Building Society but by your Limbury conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Leeds Building Society panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Limbury. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A few days later, the solicitor called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Principality 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 Principality 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 am looking for a flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Limbury I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Limbury suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.