There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in North Cheam but how do I know who I should use?

Do not opt for the cheapest North Cheam conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in North Cheam. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

My offer on a semi in North Cheam has been agreed to, the vendors do nevertheless have a dependent purchase. The sellers have placed an offer on on an apartment, but it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other properties in the pipeline. I have selected a local conveyancing solicitor in North Cheam. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with Principality started?

It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is approx £1k, then valuation, North Cheam conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you must check that your lawyer is on the Principality conveyancing panel. As to the subsequent steps this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. During a hot market many buyers will apply for a home loan with Principality and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their property lawyer to press on with searches.

I'm purchasing a new build house in North Cheam benefiting from help to buy. The builders refused to budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The sale representative advised me not to tell my lawyer about the extras as it may affect my mortgage with Santander. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I decided to have a survey completed on a property in North Cheam ahead of appointing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor has said that some banks may refuse to issue a mortgage on such a property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different instructions for example to Halifax. If you call us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in North Cheam. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in North Cheam especially if they regularly deal with such properties in North Cheam.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Sixty One years left on my lease in North Cheam. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is absent. What should I do?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to locate the freeholder. On the whole a specialist should be helpful to try and locate and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing North Cheam.

I am the registered owner of a studio flat in North Cheam, conveyancing having been completed May 1998. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in North Cheam with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease ends on 21st October 2079

With 53 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £27,600 and £31,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.

Is there a reason that North Cheam conveyancing costs are higher for leasehold and freehold properties?

If acquiring a leasehold property there is more work involved purely due to the fact that usually there are further parties involved in the form of the freeholder and/or Management Agents. As part of a lawyers enquiries they will check that all ground rent and service charges are paid up to date amongst other general leasehold matters. For this reason, the Sellers lawyers usually have to refer to the freeholder or Managing Agent for their replies to our questions. This may be time consuming and beyond the lawyers control