Completed the sale of my flat in Shinfield and Arborfield last May but my buyer keeps telephoning every few hours complaining that their solicitor needs to hear from mine. What should my lawyer have done following completion?

After completion of your house sale your conveyancer should forward the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the purchaser's conveyancer. Where appropriate, your conveyancer must also confirm that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been discharged to the buyers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion steps peculiar conveyancing in Shinfield and Arborfield.

A friend suggested that where I am buying in Shinfield and Arborfield I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Shinfield and Arborfield conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Shinfield and Arborfield around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Shinfield and Arborfield Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Shinfield and Arborfield.

I am buying a new build apartment in Shinfield and Arborfield. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Here are examples of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Shinfield and Arborfield

If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.

I've recently bought a leasehold property in Shinfield and Arborfield. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Shinfield and Arborfield - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

It would be prudent to discover as much as possible about the managing agents as they can either make your living at the property much easier or a lot more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to day to day issues like the upkeep of the common parts. Enquire of other people what they think of their management. Finally, be sure you know the dates that the service fees are due to the managing agents and specifically what it includes. Generally speaking the outlay for major works tend not to be wrapped into the maintenance charges, although there some managing agents in Shinfield and Arborfield ask leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance. Who takes responsibility for maintaining and repairing the block?

The solicitors conducting our conveyancing in Shinfield and Arborfield has sent papers to review that indicate that the land is unregistered with epitome documents. How can it be that the property not registred at HM Land Regsitry?

It is rare for premises in Shinfield and Arborfield not to be registered. An 'epitome' is basically a dossier of photocopies of documents affecting an unregistered title. Plenty of Shinfield and Arborfield conveyancing solicitors should be able to handle this type of conveyancing but if any uncertainty reigns the prevailing recommendation nowadays is for the seller to register it first and thereafter deal with the dispose of the property to the purchaser - this this chain of events will result in a significant delay.