At what point can the exchange of contracts take place for domestic conveyancing in Scarborough and do I need to attend the conveyancers office?

Where you are round the corner to our conveyancing solicitors in Scarborough you are invited in to sign the paperwork. That being said, the firms we recommend provide a nationwide conveyancing service and give just as comprehensive and professional a job for you when dealing with you electronically. The signing of the contract is not the important part. A signed contract is necessary for the conveyancer to address the formalities when the time is right, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a long "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Scarborough)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

I have a decision in principle. The bank mentioned the mortgage came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to instruct their panel lawyer as I would much rather use a Scarborough based conveyancing firm?

Do check but the the probability is that give you one of their panel lawyers should you accept the "fee-free" offer. Call the lender and see if they offer you a monetary alternative. In the past a few lenders offered a £250 cashback as a further option in which case you could put that amount towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor in Scarborough.

I was advised by numerous selling agents in Scarborough to select a conveyancer on your site. What’s the financial upside for Estate Agents to offer your services over alternative conveyancing organisations?

We refuse to give any referral fee for directing people our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agency in Scarborough where we see a few leasehold sales derailed due to short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Scarborough conveyancing firms. Can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 purchaser.

I am the registered owner of a 2 bed flat in Scarborough, conveyancing formalities finalised 3 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Scarborough with over 90 years remaining are worth £222,000. The ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2094

With only 70 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional 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.

A licensed conveyancer handled my conveyancing in Scarborough half a dozen years ago and was holding my registration documents but has now closed – What steps do I now take to retreive them?

Title deeds, as such, no longer exist as most homes in Scarborough are recorded digitally at Land Registry. Should you need to prove evidence of proprietorship or are selling or refinancing your conveyancer should obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned as quickly as possible.