As someone clueless as to conveyancing in Petworth what is the number one tip you can impart for the house moving process in Petworth

Not many law firms shout this from the rooftops but conveyancing in Petworth or throughout West Sussex is often a confrontational experience. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists lots of opportunity for conflict between you and others involved in the transaction. For instance, the vendor, property agent and even potentially a mortgage company. Appointing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Petworth is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY party in the transaction whose responsibility is to look after your legal interests and to keep you safe.

Every so often a potential adversary may try and sway you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For instance, the property agent may claim to be helping by claiming that your lawyer is wrong. Or your financial adviser may try to convince you to do take action that is against your solicitors advice. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the home moving process.

Please help - my lawyer advises that lack of building regulations insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Petworth conveyancing?

The appropriate level of lack of building regulations indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Yorkshire Building Society and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

We previously appointed solicitors locally in Petworth on the TSB solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a supplemental charge for dealing with the TSB mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by TSB?

As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer can levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by TSB but by your Petworth solicitor. Numerous firms on the TSB panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but many firms incorporate it on their overall fee.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Petworth. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

I have been told that property searches are a common cause of stalling in Petworth house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the top 10 causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Petworth.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and identified one close by in Petworth I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Petworth in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

I am intending to let out my leasehold apartment in Petworth. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

The lease governs the relationship between the freeholder and you the leaseholder; specifically, it will indicate if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. The majority of leases in Petworth do not prevent an absolute prevention of subletting – such a clause would adversely affect the market value the flat. In most cases there is simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a duplicate of the sublease.

I bought a leasehold flat in Petworth, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. 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? Equivalent flats in Petworth with an extended lease are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease runs out on 21st October 2101

With 75 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.