I am selling my flat in Sittingbourne. Will my conveyancer have to be required to be on the Principality conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Principality conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their panel criteria fairly frequently currently.

We are planning to move property in March. Does my conveyancing solicitor call the removal company on the completion day. As an aside, can you recommend a removal company in Sittingbourne. Conveyancing solicitor was chosen before I stumbled across this page.

On the day of completion you can pick up the house keys from the selling agent but this can only happen after the sellers conveyancers inform the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be passed over. You will need to advise the removal company that you are ready to move in. We do not suggest a particular removal company but can assist you in locating a conveyancing in Sittingbourne or a lawyer with expertise in conveyancing in Sittingbourne.

I'm at the point of viewing houses in Sittingbourne and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a lawyer appointed at this stage? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Barclays.

You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the estate agent. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Barclays, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Yorkshire BS. I assume I don't need a Sittingbourne conveyancer on the Yorkshire BS panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Yorkshire BS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Yorkshire BS mortgage from the register. Yorkshire BS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Yorkshire BS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Yorkshire BS has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Sittingbourne. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Sittingbourne

There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. 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.

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to be perfect, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Sittingbourne. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Sittingbourne are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Sittingbourne so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Sittingbourne conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is located on an estate. Your lawyer should appraise you on the various issues.

I inherited a garden flat in Sittingbourne, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent properties in Sittingbourne with an extended lease are worth £201,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease ceases on 21st October 2091

With only 65 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £13,300 and £15,400 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

My boyfriend is buying a basement flat in Sittingbourne. He was given a quote by the lawyer suggested by the estate agents and it came to £1385 . It was 9 years ago since I sold and purchased a home and the bill was £495. Have costs really gone up that much?

What does the conveyancing estimate include? Is it just for the legal fees, or what you will be paying in total (for instance Sittingbourne searches, land registry fees, etc)