I can't travel far from Snodland. Is there a reason why all Snodland lawyers aren't automatically on all lender panels?

Mortgage Companies ordinarily restrict either the nature or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their approved list of lawyers. Frequent examples of such restriction(s) being that a practice must have two or more partners. As well as restricting the type of firm, some banks for instance HSBC decided to limit the number of firms they allow to represent them. It is worth noting that banks have no responsibility for the accuracy of conveyancing supplied by any Snodland conveyancing practitioner on their approved list. Property fraud was the key driver in the rationalisation of solicitor panels from 2008 notwithstanding that there are opposing points of view about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Data published by HMLR reveal that thousands of law practices only carry out one or two conveyances annually. Those advocating conveyancing panel culls ask why conveyancing firms deserve any entitlement to be on a bank panel when clearly conveyancing is not their primary expertise?

The vendors of the house we are looking to purchase hired a conveyancing firm in Snodland who has insisted on a preliminary contract with a down payment 6,000. Are such arrangements promoted for Snodland conveyancing transactions?

This form of agreement is unusual in Snodland, conveyancers will often try and steer clients away from them as they detract from the main conveyancing focus and if you end up losing your deposit then the lawyer at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. Secondly, there is no guarantee that just because the owner has executed an exclusivity contract they will complete the sale with you. They may be in contravention of the agreement if they receive sufficient offer to do so because a wronged party with the benefit of a exclusivity agreement will still be legally obliged to establish consequential losses from the breach and this may not equalise the extra amount that your vendor may obtain by reneging on the contract, however morally reprehensible that may be.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my home are lost. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Snodland 5 years ago have long since closed. What are my next steps?

Gone are the days when you need to have the physical deeds to prove you are the registered proprietor of land or premises, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and found one close by in Snodland I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, however it's only got 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Snodland suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Snodland. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I am the registered owner of a 1 bedroom flat in Snodland, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Snodland with an extended lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2086

You have 60 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £20,000 and £23,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.