It is a dozen years since I purchased my property in Westbury. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I can't find my title documents. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be retained by your lender or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Westbury involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Westbury. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

I have instructed a Westbury having checked that they are on the conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Westbury surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Our sealed bid on a property in Westbury has been accepted, the owners do nevertheless have a tied purchase. The sellers have offered on a property, but it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other flats booked. I have instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in Westbury. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with going?

It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Westbury conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you should ensure that your is on the approved list. Concerning the next phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your case, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. In a hot market many purchasers would apply for a home loan with and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their to proceed with searches.

Just bought a detached house in Westbury , how long will it take for the Land Registry to record the transfer to my name? My Westbury conveyancing solicitor has been painfully slow, so I want to be sure the post completion formalities are dealt with.

As far as conveyancing in Westbury is concerned, registration is no faster or slower than the rest of England and Wales. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can vary according to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry must send notices to any interested persons or bodies. As of today roughly three quarters of such applications are fully dealt with within 12 days but some can be subject to longer hold-ups. Registration occurs once the new owner is living at the property thus an expedited registration is not always top priority but if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

I am buying a new build flat in Westbury. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Westbury

If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. Please supply a car parking plan. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Westbury is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Westbury are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Westbury you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Westbury may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.