My previous solicitor has quoted £1200 for no sale no fee conveyancing in Wickford. I am looking to sell a newly refurbished detached home for £200,000. Are these conveyancing fees excessive? Is it above what I should be paying for conveyancing in Wickford?

The charges are a little high. If you are willing to expend time contrasting quotes you may be able to decrease the fees marginally by as much as £125. On the other hand, you mightcome to regret opting for an an unknown conveyancer. Remember to enquire that the firm can act for your mortgage company. You can employ our search tool to choose a Wickford conveyancing firm on the lender’s approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Wickford.

My husband and I are hoping to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in Wickford with a mortgage from TSB.We have a Wickford conveyancing lawyer but TSB informed us she’s not on their approved list of member firms. We have to appoint a TSB panel lawyer or retain our local solicitor and pay for a TSB panel lawyer to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The loan issued to you contains terms and conditions, a common one being that solicitors will be on the TSB conveyancing panel. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for TSB

We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Wickford and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any high street Wickford lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers used a factory type conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Wickford. Having lived in Wickford for six years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer already. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one round the corner in Wickford I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Wickford for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

Last May I purchased a leasehold flat in Wickford. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Wickford - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

Does the lease include onerous restrictions? How many years remain on the lease? How is the lease structured?