I am in the market for a reasonably priced conveyancer. Should I go for for a national conveyancer rather than a local Chapeltown conveyancing lawyer?

Generally conveyancing lawyers in your location will have good alliances with your local authority, which can assist with the Chapeltown conveyancing searches that your solicitor will require on your transaction. It also helps if they enjoy strong connections with the Land Registry in your area Chapeltown, other conveyancers in the neighbourhood and Chapeltown selling agents.

A friend suggested that if I am purchasing in Chapeltown I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Chapeltown conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Chapeltown 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, Chapeltown Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Chapeltown.

How does conveyancing in Chapeltown differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Chapeltown approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is constructed. This is because builders in Chapeltown tend to purchase 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 conveyancers 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 Chapeltown or who has acted in the same development.

Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Chapeltown in advance of retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor advised that some banks may refuse to issue a mortgage on such a property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different requirements for example to Nationwide. If you contact us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Chapeltown. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Chapeltown especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Chapeltown.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Chapeltown conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Chapeltown conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you talk with several firms including non Chapeltown conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be helpful:

What are the costs for lease extension work? How many lease extensions have they carried out in Chapeltown in the last year?

I acquired a 1 bedroom flat in Chapeltown, conveyancing having been completed February 2008. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Chapeltown with a long lease are worth £175,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2083

With just 58 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £23,800 and £27,400 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.