What is the best way to find the right lawyer to give a first class service for my conveyancing in Malden?

First ask your friends and family whom they would instruct.

Second, search the web for conveyancing in Malden. Telephone two or three from the list and invite them to send you their conveyancing estimate and speak to the lawyer who will oversee your legal process ahead ofcommitting.

Third is to use our search tool to help you find the right solicitors taking into account your unique expectations including the type of property,deadlines, complexity and who the proposed mortgage company is. Avoid the trap of appointing £99 conveyancing in Malden

I am helping my niece sell her house in Malden. Will the solicitor order the energy assessment or do I organise this?

After the demise of Home Information Packs, energy assessments was retained a compulsory component of selling a house. An energy assessment needs to be to hand prior to the property being placed on the market. It is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms normally organise. Where you are using a Malden conveyancing lawyer they might help arrange energy performance certificates due to their relationships with long established local accredited person

I am expecting a DIP from Clydesdale this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Clydesdale recommend any Malden solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Malden solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Clydesdale through the process.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Malden. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £175. A couple of days later, the lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Kent Reliance 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 Kent Reliance 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.

I have justfound out that Action Conveyancing have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Malden for a purchase of a freehold house 9 months ago. How can I be sure that my home is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest method to check if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Malden conveyancing specialists.

Last February I purchased a leasehold property in Malden. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I have given up trying to purchase the freehold in Malden. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Malden conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Malden property is 158 West Hill in November 2010. the Tribunal held that the premium to be paid for the freehold reversion should be £99,650 This case affected 7 flats. The unexpired lease term was 75.88 years.

I pay a maintenance fee for my appartment in Malden. As a result of personal circumstances I fell behind with remittance. I negotiated a clearance schedule but there remains a couple of currently due.

I now wish to dispose of the property and I am panicking this can hold me back if I have to settle the arrears first. I'd like to sell up and subsequently discharge the arrears from the proceeds - is this possible?

It would be wise to speak with the conveyancing practitioner dealing with your Malden conveyancing but one option might be to agree for the debt to be attributed to the purchasers. The contractual price payable would be adjusted to reflect the amount of debt they assume. They could then deal with the fees once they are the owners.