I am selling our house in Arlesey and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed an online conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Arlesey. We have lived in Arlesey for 5 years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. 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 a renovated Georgian house in Arlesey. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and National Westminster Bank. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Arlesey and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.
How does conveyancing in Arlesey differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Arlesey contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because house builders in Arlesey usually buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Arlesey or who has acted in the same development.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing solicitor in Arlesey for my house move. Is there any facility to see a solicitor's complaints history with the profession’s regulator?
You can read published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from inquisitions started on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded telephone calls for training purposes.
We have just discovered that one of the partners of the conveyancing practice handling the purchase conveyancing in Arlesey is a relative of the seller. Is this acceptable?
Provided there is no conflict of interest this is permitted. Where you are obtaining mortgage finance then the bank may have a say as many banks have specific instructions on this. For example for Chelsea Building Society as of 9/9/2025, the requirements read as follows :
* there is no conflict of interest and none arises during the transaction
* the firm is a partnership
* the conveyancer acting is not the borrower or a member of the borrower's immediate family.