Is there a reason why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Skelmersdale costs more?

Skelmersdale leasehold properties involve far more paperwork than a freehold purchase, and therefore takes more time to examine and advise upon.Conveyancing will involve the lease having to be checked which is usually a lengthy document, queries raised to ensure that the covenants and conditions have been observed. If it is a flat there will be a management company in existence and the accounts of this will need to be checked and enquiries raised to ensure it is operating efficiently and that all monies due have been paid by the Seller to the company and if not ensuring that money is paid up to date or the appropriate undertakings obtained.

What happens if my solicitor is removed from the Leeds Building Society Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Skelmersdale?

First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.

A friend advised me that if I am buying in Skelmersdale I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Skelmersdale conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Skelmersdale around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Skelmersdale Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Skelmersdale.

I have been advised by a number of estate agents in Skelmersdale to choose a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to market your site over and above a competitor’s?

We refuse to offer any commission for directing people to this site. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

I own a leasehold house in Skelmersdale. Conveyancing and Leeds Building Society mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Skelmersdale who previously acted has now retired. Any advice?

First contact HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Skelmersdale conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Skelmersdale - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

It is important to be aware whether changing the roof or some other major work is pending to be shared between the leaseholders and will materially increase the the service costs or necessitate a one time invoice. You should be aware that where the lease has no more than eighty years it will affect the value of the flat. It is worth checking with your bank that they are content with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. For most Skelmersdalelease extensions you would be be obliged to have been the owner of the premises for a couple of years before you are legally able to extend the lease. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?