We are planning to acquire a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Barnstaple who is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a firm?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Lloyds . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Barnstaple.
A relative suggested that where I am buying in Barnstaple I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Barnstaple conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Barnstaple 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 statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Barnstaple.
I used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Barnstaple. Now, I need my files however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Barnstaple of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one close by in Barnstaple I like with open areas and railway links nearby, however it's only got 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Barnstaple suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a home loan that many years may be an issue. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial property in Barnstaple and how can your lawyers assist?
The particular law that you refer to affords a safeguard to commercial lessees, giving them the right to apply to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of an expired lease. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act to your advantage and help with commercial conveyancing in Barnstaple
I work for a reputable estate agency in Barnstaple where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local Barnstaple conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
Barnstaple Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to buying
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Make sure you enquire if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For instance it is very common in Barnstaple leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Barnstaple. If you love the propertyin Barnstaple yet your dog can’t make the move with you then you have a very difficult determination. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? The answer will be helpful as a) areas can cause problems for the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to know about it