At long last a mortgage offer from NatWest for the refinancing of my 4 room apartment is expected any day now. Could you recommend a low cost conveyancing solicitor in Rochford?

You have arrived at the wrong site to search for the lowest fares for conveyancing in Rochford. Our intention is to offer cost effective conveyancing but we do not aim to work with the cheapest lawyers. Do not be seduced by organisations offering £99 conveyancing in Rochford. In your best case scenario, in choosing a lawyer for low cost conveyancing, you will get your money’s worth and at worst it will result in you with a surprising uplift in additional fees and still not end up with the service you were hoping for.

We wanted to use a property lawyer in Rochford for our house move. Our broker has since advised us that our mortgage lenders Lloyds TSB Bank won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?

Mortgage Companies ordinarily imposes restrictions either the category or the amount of conveyancing firms on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a law practice must have two or more partners. As well as restricting the profile of firm, some have decided to limit the number of solicitor practices they allow to represent them. You should note that Lloyds TSB Bank have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Lloyds TSB Bank Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of solicitor panels since 2008 even though there are differing opinions concerning the level of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Rochford only carry out one or two conveyances per annum.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Rochford. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Rochford

Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents.

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Rochford in advance of appointing lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor advised that some banks will not grant a loan on this type of property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can investigate further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Rochford. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Rochford to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Rochford from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Rochford can be reduced if you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ representatives.
In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Rochford state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord consenting to such changes. Where you fail to have the paperwork in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your conveyancer in the first instance. You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check via your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is below 75 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Obtaining a replacement share certificate can be a lengthy formality and slows down many a Rochford conveyancing transaction. Where a duplicate share is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later.

Rochford Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

How long is the Lease? Generally speaking the cost for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Rochford require tenants to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance. The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the leaseholders have control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often retained where it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent employed by the leaseholders.