The mortgage agreement from HSBC for the refinancing of my single room apartment is expected any day now. Could you put forward a low cost conveyancing lawyer in Ditchling?

You have come to the wrong place to search for the lowest fares for conveyancing in Ditchling. Our aim is to provide affordable conveyancing but we do not aim to advertise as being the cheapest. Resist the temptation to appoint brokers seducing you with £100 conveyancing in Ditchling. In your best case scenario, in going for low cost conveyancing, you will earn what you pay for and at worst it will result in you paying a lot in extras and still not get the service you were hoping for.

Please could you vouch for a Barclays sanctioned Ditchling conveyancing lawyer that can complete within less than a month? Would it be better to use a local Ditchling practice or a nationwide firm?

We can recommend some very good Ditchling conveyancing firms. Another option is to visit the main road in Ditchling. Visit two or three firms and request to speak with a conveyancing solicitor for a fee estimate. Explain your deadline together with your reasons and ask for an assurance on your deadline. Choose the one that you are most comfortable with.

In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Ditchling? Why is this being asked of me?

Ditchling conveyancing solicitors and indeed property practitioners throughout the UK have an obligation under Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules to verify the ID of any client with a view to ensure that clients are who they say they are.

Conveyancing clients are required to supply two forms of certified identification; proof of ID (usually a Passport or Driving Licence) and evidence of address (usually a Utility Bill less than 3 months old).

Proof of the origin of monies is also necessary in accordance with the money laundering regulations as lawyers are duty bound to check that the monies you are using to purchase a property (whether it be the deposit for exchange or the total purchase price where you are buying mortgage free) has come from an acceptable source (such as employment savings) and is not the product of criminal activity.

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

This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Ditchling conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Ditchling around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Ditchling Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Ditchling Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Ditchling.

I am looking at a couple of maisonettes in Ditchling which have in the region of fifty years left on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

A lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the saleability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is advisable to extend the lease term. Sometimes it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage companies may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We recommend you seek professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena.

Ditchling Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

You should want to discover as much as possible regarding the company managing the block as they can either make your life much easier or a lot more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily issues like the cleanliness of the common parts. Don't be afraid to ask prospective neighbours if they are happy with them. Finally, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the relevant party and precisely how they are spending the funds. What is the yearly service fee and ground rent? The majority of Ditchling leasehold flats will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the block invoiced on behalf of the management company. If you buy the flat you will have to meet this liability, normally periodically during the year. This could be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal areas. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, ordinarily this is not a significant sum, say about £25-£75 but you need to check as on occasion it can be many hundreds of pounds.