Our family solicitor has given a fee calculation of just over a thousand pound for fixed fee conveyancing in Newton Abbot. I am selling a modern house for £150,000. Is this over the top? Is it in excess of what I should be paying for conveyancing in Newton Abbot?

The estimate does seem a tad overpriced. If you shop around you may be able to shave off some of the expense by as much as £100 plus VAT. On the other hand, you couldlive to rue choosing an an unknown lawyer. Don't forget to check the firm can represent your mortgage company. Do utilise our search tool to choose a Newton Abbot conveyancing company on the lender’s approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Newton Abbot.

Do the conveyancing practitioners identified via your search tool execute auction conveyancing in Newton Abbot?

We know of a few niche lawyers we can connect you with those conducting auction conveyancing. Newton Abbot is just one of the many areas of in which our lawyers cover.

I am the registered owner of a freehold premises in Newton Abbot but still pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Newton Abbot and has limited impact for conveyancing in Newton Abbot but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges date back many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the generation of new rentcharges post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 is to be extinguished.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one round the corner in Newton Abbot I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Newton Abbot for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

Last July I purchased a leasehold property in Newton Abbot. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I invested in buying a studio flat in Newton Abbot, conveyancing having been completed March 2008. 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? Comparable properties in Newton Abbot with an extended lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2092

With just 67 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £10,500 and £12,000 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.