I am assisting my sister sell her property in South Sutton. Will the conveyancing solicitor commission an energy performance certificate or should I organise this?

After the abolition of HIPs, EPC’s was kept a mandatory element of moving property. An energy assessment should be commissioned prior to the property being advertised. It is not something that solicitors ordinarily arrange. If you are instructing a South Sutton conveyancing lawyer they might be able to arrange energy assessments due to their relationships with long established South Sutton providers

I have a mortgage with HSBC for my property in South Sutton. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform HSBC?

Your original mortgage agreement with HSBC will provide that you need their approval in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of HSBC’s mortgage conditions. It may be that HSBC will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact HSBC directly. You need not do this via a HSBC conveyancing panel lawyer.

Planning on purchasing a house in South Sutton. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the South Sutton lawyer is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in South Sutton?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in South Sutton. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner in South Sutton for my house move. Can I check a firm’s record with the profession’s regulator?

Anyone can see presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded call for training requirements.

I've found a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have since been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in South Sutton. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in South Sutton are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in South Sutton in which case you should be looking for a South Sutton conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’sconsent to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

South Sutton Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Please note that where the lease has no more than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the value of the property. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are happy with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will almost definitely require a lease extension at some point and you need to have some idea of what this will be. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have been the owner of the premises for 24 months before you are eligible to exercise a lease extension. The majority of South Sutton leasehold properties will incur a service charge for maintenance of the block invoiced on behalf of the management company. Should you buy the apartment you will have to meet this liability, usually in instalments during the year. This may differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. There will also be a rentcharge to be met annual, this is usually not a significant amount, say around £25-£75 but you need to enquire it because occasionally it could be prohibitively expensive. This question is useful as a) areas can result in problems in the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate if services remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to have all the details

What do I do if I am unhappy with the property lawyer who did my conveyancing in South Sutton?

We live in an imperfect world, and unfortunately sometimes things do go wrong. Nevertheless there is recourse where you were unhappy with your conveyancing in South Sutton. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a solicitor to their governing body. If you remain aggrieved you may consider enlisting the help of the Legal Ombudsman.