My aunt passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Blythe Bridge. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £8000. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to , pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

Where you intend to re-mortgage then will require that you use a conveyancer on the conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unseasoned as a 1st time buyer of a garden flat in Blythe Bridge. Do I pick up the keys to the property on completion from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Blythe Bridge?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the completion advance to the vendor’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be invited to receive the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens early afternoon.

A colleague informed me that in purchasing a property in Blythe Bridge there could be various restrictions prohibiting external alterations to the property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Blythe Bridge which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Blythe Bridge should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

Is it the case that all Blythe Bridge solicitor practices on the conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be overseen by the CLC.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one close by in Blythe Bridge I like with a park and station nearby, however it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Blythe Bridge in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

My husband and I are novice buyers - agreed a price, but the estate agent told us that the vendor will only go ahead if we appoint the agent's chosen conveyancers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a local conveyancer used to conveyancing in Blythe Bridge

It is improbable the sellers are behind this. Should the owner desire ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated buyer is counter productive. Contact the vendors directly and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you will continue to use your own,trusted Blythe Bridge conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will give their estate agent a referral fee or meet his conveyancing targets demanded by senior management.

I am looking at a couple of flats in Blythe Bridge which have approximately 50 years left on the lease term. Do I need to be concerned?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Blythe Bridge is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the value of the premises. For most purchasers and mortgage companies, leases with under eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Blythe Bridge conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Blythe Bridge - Examples of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

Its a good idea to find out as much as you can concerning the managing agents as they will either make your life much easier or uncomfortable. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily matters such as the tidiness of the common parts. Enquire of prospective neighbours what they think of their management. On a final note, be sure you discover the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and specifically what it includes. Make sure you find out if the the lease contains any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Blythe Bridge. If you love the flatin Blythe Bridge yet your cat can’t make the move with you then you will be faced difficult determination. Most Blythe Bridge leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the building set by the management company. Should you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this charge, usually periodically during the year. This may be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a significant figure, say around £25-£75 but you should to check it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds.