I am assisting my mother sell her flat in Gorleston. Does the solicitor order an energy performance certificate or it is for me to see to?

Following the demise of Home Information Packs, EPC’s was retained a mandatory part of selling a property. An energy assessment must be to hand in advance of the property being marketed. This is not something that law firms normally arrange. If you are using a Gorleston conveyancing solicitor they might help arrange energy assessments given their contacts with reputable Gorleston accredited person

Is it the case that all Gorleston solicitor firms on the conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Gorleston. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £200. Not long after, the called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Gorleston?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Gorleston. 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…’

How does conveyancing in Gorleston differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Gorleston come to us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because house builders in Gorleston usually acquire the land, 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Gorleston or who has acted in the same development.

I'm converting the mortgage on my primary house to a buy to let mortgage with and I will use the rest of the raised equity towards a second property. The location we are talking about is Gorleston. Will your solicitors be able to act for both sets of lenders and link together the conveyances?

Make use of our comparison tool on this page to check that the lawyers are on the relevant lender panels. Assuming that they are the lawyer will be able to tie up the two transactions but you should have a chat with you lawyer and make clear your desired outcome and needs.

I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Gorleston. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have just received a quarterly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

It best that you pay the maintenance contribution as you normally would as all ground rent and service invoices should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I invested in buying a studio flat in Gorleston, conveyancing having been completed 1995. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Similar flats in Gorleston with an extended lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 50

With only 50 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as costs.

The figure 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 comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.