I am purchasing a garden flat in Tiptree. Can I do my own conveyancing?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Tiptree you will have to appoint a solicitor on your bank's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Tiptree.
I require expedited conveyancing in Tiptree as I am under pressure to complete within 2 weeks. Fortunately I do not require a mortgage. Can I escape the need for conveyancing searches to save fees and time?
As you are not getting a mortgage you are at liberty not to have searches carried out although no conveyancer would recommend that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Tiptree the following are examples of what can arise and therefore affect future mortgageability: Refused Planning Applications, Outstanding Charges, Overdue Grants, Railway Schemes,...
I have a terraced Georgian house in Tiptree. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Skipton Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Tiptree and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
I was advised by a number of selling agents in Tiptree to select a solicitor using your seach tool. What’s the financial inducement for Estate Agents to recommend your site over and above alternative conveyancing organisations?
We refuse to give any referral fee for sending work our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
Am I better off to instruct a Tiptree conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? We have a good friend who can deal with the legal work however her office is a couple of hundredkilometers away.
The benefit of a high street Tiptree conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to execute paperwork, deliver your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Tiptree know how is a plus. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust instructed your friend and they were happy that must trump using an unknown Tiptree conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being based in the area.
What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Tiptree conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?
When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Tiptree conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggest that you speak with two or three firms including non Tiptree conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be helpful:
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How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation? What are the charges for lease extension conveyancing?
Tiptree Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing
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You should want to discover as much as possible regarding the company managing the block as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day issues like the cleanliness of the common parts. Enquire of other people what they think of their management. In conclusion, be sure you discover the dates that the maintenance fees are due to the relevant party and specifically how they are spending the funds. The majority of Tiptree leasehold properties will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the building set by the landlord. If you buy the flat you will have to meet this contribution, usually periodically during the year. This could vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay annual, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say around £25-£75 but you need to check it because on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds. In the main the cost for major works tend not to be incorporated into the service charges, although there some managing agents in Tiptree ask tenants to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance.