Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of Upper Tean conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel?

Upper Tean conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Barclays directly.

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Upper Tean. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?

Having for all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you now have to retain a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you are faced with a tight a drop dead date to complete the transaction. An auction property should have a corresponding legal set of papers. This will likely include evidence of title and search results. If you have purchased leasehold property the conveyancing pack should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation specific to leasehold premises. You must pass this on to the lawyer working for you at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that your finances are organised to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

I am being advised by my lawyer that absentee landlord insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Upper Tean?

The appropriate level of absentee landlord indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between National Westminster Bank and Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

My fiancee and I are spending time looking at houses in Upper Tean and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I will be getting a home loan with Nationwide.

It would be wise to start your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Nationwide, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

Will my lawyer be raising enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Upper Tean.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers carrying out conveyancing in Upper Tean. Plenty of people will buy a house in Upper Tean, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that may be carried out by the purchaser or by their solicitors which should figure out the risks in Upper Tean. The conventional set of information given to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a standard question of the vendor to determine whether the premises has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred which is not notified by the owner, then a purchaser may bring a legal claim for losses stemming from an inaccurate response. The buyer’s conveyancers will also commission an enviro search. This should disclose whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations should be made.

How does conveyancing in Upper Tean differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Upper Tean come to us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is ready to move into. This is because builders in Upper Tean usually 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 property lawyers 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 Upper Tean or who has acted in the same development.

Jane (my partner) and I may need to sub-let our Upper Tean basement flat temporarily due to a new job. We used a Upper Tean conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Some leases for properties in Upper Tean do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.

I inherited a studio flat in Upper Tean, conveyancing was carried out August 2004. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Corresponding flats in Upper Tean with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2075

With just 51 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.