I was referred a lawyer who has quoted £1150 for fixed fee conveyancing in Lewes. I am selling a Edwardian house for £200,000. Are these estimated fees excessive? Is it above the average fee for conveyancing in Lewes?
The charges are a bit high. If you are happy to spend time scrutinising charges you may be able to get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by as much as £125. On the other hand, you couldlive to regret opting for an an untested solicitor. Remember to check that the solicitor can act for your lender. You can make use of our search tool to locate a Lewes conveyancing company on the banks approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Lewes.
I am selling our house in Lewes and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers used an internet conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Lewes. We have lived in Lewes for 5 years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to obtain confirmation that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. What do they say? You should enquire of 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 health insurance to cover that same ailment)
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Lewes?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Lewes. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a simple, no chain conveyancing. Lewes is the location of the property. Can you offer any assistance?
Flying freeholds in Lewes are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Lewes you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Lewes 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.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing lawyer in Lewes for my home move. Is there any facility to see a firm’s record with the legal regulator?
One may find published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For records Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor telephone calls for training reasons.
Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £225,000 maisonette in Lewes next week. The freeholder has quoted £420 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Lewes?
Lewes conveyancing on leasehold apartments ordinarily results in fees being invoiced by landlords agents :
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Completing pre-contract questions
Where consent is required before sale in Lewes
Supplying insurance information
Deeds of covenant upon sale
Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale
Leasehold Conveyancing in Lewes - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing
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Does the lease include onerous restrictions? Please note that where the lease has fewer than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the property. Check with your bank that they are content with residual term of the lease. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would be be obliged to have been the owner of the property for a couple of years in order to be eligible to extend the lease. Most Lewes leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the building invoiced on behalf of the management company. If you buy the property you will have to meet this amount, usually quarterly during the year. This may vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal grounds. There will also be a rentcharge to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant amount, say around £50-£100 but you need to check as sometimes it could be prohibitively expensive.