My partner and I are buying a brand new duplex in Sprowston and my solicitor is telling me that she has to the lender to disclose incentives from the builder. The Estate Agents are hassling me to sign contracts and I would rather not delay deal. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on a bank panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

What happens if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the Lloyds Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Sprowston?

The first thing to point out is that, 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.

I am buying a property and the solicitor has referenced Chancel Repair to which the property could be liable as it falls into the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this really appropriate for conveyancing in Sprowston

Unless a prior purchase of the property completed after 12 October 2013 you could assume that conveyancing practitioners delivering conveyancing in Sprowston to remain recommending a chancel search and or chancel repair liability policy.

How does conveyancing in Sprowston differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Sprowston approach us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is built. This is because builders in Sprowston usually purchase the site, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Sprowston or who has acted in the same development.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the disposal of our £150,000 apartment in Sprowston on Monday in a week. The management company has quoted £312 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Sprowston?

Sprowston conveyancing on leasehold flats usually results in administration charges invoiced by freeholders :

Answering pre-contract enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Sprowston Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Sprowston leasehold premises is £350. For Sprowston conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide the information.

Sprowston Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

In the main the outlay for major works are not built into the maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Sprowston require leasehold owners to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific intention of establishing a fund for major works. What is the annual service fee and ground rent? It would be wise to find out if the the lease includes any onerous restrictions in the lease. For instance plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Sprowston. If you love the propertyin Sprowston but your cat can’t make the move with you then you will be presented with a difficult choice.