There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in Turvey but how do I know who I should use?

Do not opt for the lowest Turvey conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in advance.

This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as a first time purchaser of a garden flat in Turvey. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Turvey?

On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Turvey. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the completion advance to the vendor’s lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be called to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens between 1 and 3pm.

It is unclear whether my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Turvey bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told it does not impact the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Turvey conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called and was told they refuse to lend based on their specific requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

Provided that the conveyancing practitioner is on the mortgage company approved list, they must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

A friend recommended that where I am purchasing in Turvey I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Turvey conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Turvey around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Turvey.

Should I instruct a Turvey conveyancing practitioner in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? I have an old university friend who can conduct the conveyancing but her office is over three hundred miles away.

The primary upside of using a high street Turvey conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to sign paperwork, present your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Turvey know how is a benefit. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust used your friend and in the main were happy that should surpass using an unknown Turvey conveyancing lawyer just because they are local.

What makes a Turvey lease problematic?

Leasehold conveyancing in Turvey is not unique. All leases are individual and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain provisions are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts. Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the premises

A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. HSBC Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Nottingham Building Society all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

I am the registered owner of a basement flat in Turvey, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Corresponding flats in Turvey with a long lease are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2086

With only 60 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £20,000 and £23,000 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

I have recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Turvey and the estate agent that we are dealing with suggested his lawyer. They quoted £900 excluding VAT and disbursements. Does this sound reasonable?

You should not rely on one estimate. One should seek like-for-like quotes for your conveyancing in Turvey. Then pick one that you are comfortable with and just as important, is on the approved panel of the bank that you are sourcing your mortgage from.