We opted for a Penzance based lawyer for our conveyancing in Penzance today. Going through the official terms of business I seeI am liable for fees even if the sale doesn't happen. Should I go with them or use a web based lawyer advertising no completion no cost conveyancing in Penzance?

It is usually ‘give and take’ in that if "No Sale No Fee" is available then the conveyancing charges will generally be more expensive to cover those cases that do not go ahead. Do bear in mind that these offerings rarely cover expenditure e.g. Penzance conveyancing search costs.

I am need of leasehold conveyancing for an apartment in a relatively new development (seven years built) in Penzance. The vast majority the flats have already been disposed of. Do I need carry out the neighbourhood searches for my conveyancing in Penzance?

Where you are obtaining a loan, your mortgage company will need some (many) of the searches so you'll have no choice. If not, then Penzance conveyancing searches are optional. No doubt your conveyancer, will ’encourage’, perhaps in the strongest possible terms, that you should not go ahead without searches, but he or she is duty bound in this regard. One thing to bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with no practical issues can still throw up adverse search results. But if you insist that your lawyer to proceed without searches then your lawyer will have to follow your instructions or you will need to change to an alternative solicitor for your conveyancing in Penzance.

Is there a reason why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Penzance is more expensive?

The conveyancing costs on a leasehold property in Penzance is often greater as compared to a freehold acquisition or disposal. This is because there is an amount of additional time necessary in liaising with the freeholder and managing agents to obtain evidence concerning whether the rent and maintenance fee have been cleared and whether there are any large sums expected to be spent in the foreseeable future on repairs or maintenance of the building.

I used Stirling Law several years past for my conveyancing in Penzance. I now require my file but the law firm has closed. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Penzance of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am employed by a long established estate agent office in Penzance where we have experienced a number of flat sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Penzance conveyancing firms. Could you confirm whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Penzance Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

The answer will be helpful as a) areas could cause problems in the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if repairs are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to have complete disclosure For most Penzance leaseholds the cost for major works are not incorporated into the maintenance charges, although a few managing agents in Penzance require leasehold owners to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific intention of establishing a fund for major repairs or maintenance. Is the freehold owned jointly by the leaseholders?