AssumingI were to purchase a straightforward homein St Giles mortgage fee and have no survey and no local authority searches how much should I expect to to save on my conveyancing in St Giles?

Any savings you would make would be isolated to the costs for searches. The property lawyer is obliged to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, communicating with the sellers conveyancing practitioner, stamp duty submission, register the ownership etc. A slight saving might be made by not needing to register a mortgage however it won't be significant.

Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that could affect a commercial land in St Giles?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in St Giles will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers invest in looking into accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in St Giles. The report sets out definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in St Giles.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in St Giles it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately can result in delays to St Giles commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for residential conveyancing in St Giles.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years past for my conveyancing in St Giles. I now require my file but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in St Giles of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

How does conveyancing in St Giles differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build property in St Giles come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is finished. This is because builders in St Giles tend to buy 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 conveyancers 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in St Giles or who has acted in the same development.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in St Giles. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee 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 have had difficulty in trying to purchase the freehold in St Giles. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a St Giles conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a St Giles property is Flat 89 Trinity Court Grays Inn Road in February 2013. the Tribunal found that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 to the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 should be £36,229. This case related to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 66.8 years.