Have just purchased a probate house at auction in Rochford. Conveyancing is required. What happens now?

Given that you have now for all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you must instruct a conveyancing practitioner as a matter of priority as you now have a fast approaching a drop dead date to complete the purchase. Every auction property will have an associated legal set of papers. This will likely include most,if not all of the paperwork that your solicitor will need. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the auction papers should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation pertinent to leasehold premises. You need to hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Santander, do Rochford solicitors incur a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any lender fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Rochford conveyancer having made sure that they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Rochford surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Rochford and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers are using a national conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Rochford. We have lived in Rochford for three years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Rochford before retaining lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. My surveyor has said that some lenders may refuse to issue a loan on such a home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different instructions from Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can check with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Rochford. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Rochford conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Rochford conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non Rochford conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be useful:

What are the costs for lease extension work? If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?

Rochford Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

Is there a share of the freehold? How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?

I'm buying a bungalow in Rochford. I have found my conveyancer's company on the Law Society's list, but I can't see my conveyancer's name as listed on the regulator's website. Should I be concerned?

Not every individual in the practice must be listed by the regulator. As long there is a manager qualified to 'oversee' the work, the actual day-to-day activity can be conducted by unqualified staff.