I just bought a house at auction in Portsmouth. Conveyancing is required. What are my next steps?

Given that you have now legally committed yourself to purchase you will need to hire the services of a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you now have a pending deadline in which to complete the conveyancing. Every auction property should have a bespoke legal set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the documents that your conveyancer requires. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the auction papers may include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation relating to a leasehold property. You must pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. You also need to ensure that you have funds in order to complete on the on the contractual date .

I am planning to move property in October. Does my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the day of completion. Incidentally, can you suggest a removal company in Portsmouth. Conveyancing solicitor was found before I stumbled across this website.

On the afternoon of completion you can pick up the house keys from the estate agent but this should only take place when the vendors conveyancers inform the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be released. After that you will need to tell the removal company that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not recommend a specific removal company but can help you locate a residential property solicitor in Portsmouth or a firm that specialises in conveyancing in Portsmouth.

is it true that all Portsmouth solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Santander conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many lenders do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be overseen by the CLC.

Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that could affect a commercial land in Portsmouth?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Portsmouth will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers expend in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Portsmouth. The report provides definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Portsmouth.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Portsmouth it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately could result in delays to Portsmouth commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not conducted for domestic conveyancing in Portsmouth.

I have recentlydiscovered that Wolstenholmes have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Portsmouth for a purchase of a freehold house 18 months ago. How can I establish that the property is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest method to see if the premises is registered to you, you can carry out 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 Portsmouth conveyancing specialists.

Given that I am about to part with hundreds of thousands of pounds on a house in Portsmouth I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer regarding thehome move before giving the go ahead to the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the solicitor who will be carrying out your conveyancing in Portsmouth.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique person, not a case number. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are provided with for residential conveyancing in Portsmouth should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years remaining on my lease in Portsmouth. I need to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What options are available to me?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to locate the landlord. On the whole a specialist would be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Portsmouth.

I am the registered owner of a 1st floor flat in Portsmouth, conveyancing was carried out in 2009. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Portsmouth with an extended lease are worth £192,000. The ground rent is £55 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2079

With just 54 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £32,300 and £37,400 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.