We had appointed solicitors based in Old Woking on the Co-operative solicitor approved list. They have just billed me an additional amount for handling the Co-operative mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Co-operative?

As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner is entitled to charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Co-operative but by your Old Woking solicitor. Plenty of firms on the Co-operative panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of practices incorporate it on their overall fee.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Old Woking. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Aldermore have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with Aldermore your lawyer must follow the formal requirements outlined in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Aldermore. The CML Handbook sets out minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Aldermore where a lease does not comply with these specifications. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not isolated to Old Woking.

I have finally had an offer on an apartment in Old Woking accepted, the sellers do nevertheless have a tied purchase. The owners have offered on a flat, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have chosen a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Old Woking. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Aldermore going?

It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Old Woking conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to check that your solicitor is on the Aldermore approved list. Concerning the next phase this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market the majority of purchasers would apply for the mortgage with Aldermore and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their conveyancer to move forward with searches.

Just bought a terraced house in Old Woking , how long will it take for the Land Registry to register the transfer to my name? My Old Woking conveyancing solicitor has been painfully slow, so I want to check that my ownership is recorded.

There is nothing unique when it comes to conveyancing in Old Woking registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can vary depending on the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry communicate with any other parties. Currently in the region of three quarters of such applications are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but some can be subject to extensive hold-ups. Registration occurs once the new owner has moved in to the premises so registration formalities is not usually an essential issue yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your conveyancer can communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Old Woking I like with amenity areas and station nearby, however it's only got 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Old Woking in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage that many years will be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

My husband and I are 14 days into a freehold purchase having been directed to solicitors by the high street agent to do our conveyancing in Old Woking. I am am starting to be dissatisfied with the quality of service. Could you you assist me in finding new solicitors?

They would have to be very bad in order to consider replacing them. Has the mortgage been sent? If so you must inform them of the new contact details and have the offer are re-sent. Your new solicitor ideally needs to be on the banks approved list to avoid escalating expenses and delays. That should be your first question of the new lawyers. The find a solicitor tool should assist you in finding a bank approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Old Woking

What makes a Old Woking lease problematic?

Leasehold conveyancing in Old Woking is not unique. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.

A defective lease will likely cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Santander, The Mortgage Works, and Alliance & Leicester all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Old Woking - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

Does the lease contain onerous restrictions? How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments? You should be aware that where the lease has less than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the apartment. Check with your mortgage company that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth finding out what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have owned the property for a couple of years before you are eligible to extend the lease.