I was referred a conveyancer who has quoted £1400 for leasehold conveyancing in Rotherham. I’m looking to sell a purpose built detached home for £150,000. Is this overpriced? Is it above the average fee for conveyancing in Rotherham?

The estimate does seem marginally overpriced. If you shop around you may be able to shave off some of the cost by as much as a hundred pounds. On the other hand, you mightcome to rue choosing an an unknown conveyancer. Remember to enquire that the conveyancer can also act for your lender. You can utilise our search tool to locate a Rotherham conveyancing practice on the banks approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Rotherham.

The housing market in Rotherham is hotting up. What can be done to quicken up the buying process?

First, If you are under pressure for your conveyancing we would recommend that your solicitor is familiar with the area as they will make use of local relationships and intelligence. It is possible that they would have transacted previoushouses in the same street. Therefore consider using a Rotherham conveyancing lawyer. Second, be sure that the lawyer is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is believed that nearly one in five of Rotherham conveyancing transactions are suspended or derailed after discovering a purchaser’s lawyer was not on their mortgage lender’s panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the legal transfer of property being held up by as much as three weeks. It is believed that this issue affects approximately 100,000 home sales annually. Many Rotherham conveyancing firms can not represent certain mortgage companies so do check as early as possible.

My partner and I are selling our house in Rotherham and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a national conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Rotherham. We have lived in Rotherham for six years we know that this is a non issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to get clarification need.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm already. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

How does conveyancing in Rotherham differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Rotherham approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because new home sellers in Rotherham tend to purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Rotherham or who has acted in the same development.

I inherited a 1 bedroom flat in Rotherham, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable properties in Rotherham with a long lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 50

You have 50 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £36,100 and £41,800 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.