We are purchasing a terrace house in Stokesley. We would like to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve enquiries to ascertain if these works were previously refused?

Your property lawyer should check the deeds as conveyancing in Stokesley will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title documents which prohibit categories of works or necessitated the permission of another owner. Many extensions need local authority planning consent and approval under the building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Stokesley. I have a mortgage agreed with Clydesdale. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Stokesley. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an on account payment of £150. A couple of days later, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me to say that they were not on the UBS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the UBS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I am buying a new build flat in Stokesley. Conveyancing is daunting 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 legal work.

Here are examples of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Stokesley

Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? 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. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. 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.

I am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Stokesley I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Stokesley for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

Completion is due on our sale of a £225,000 flat in Stokesley in just under a week. The managing agents has quoted £348 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Stokesley?

Stokesley conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes typically necessitates administration charges raised by landlords agents :

Addressing pre-exchange questions Where consent is required before sale in Stokesley Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Stokesley leasehold premises is £350. For Stokesley conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide the information.

I acquired a split level flat in Stokesley, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable properties in Stokesley with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease ends on 21st October 2092

With just 67 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £10,500 and £12,000 plus legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

Do online conveyancing organisations do everything a high street Stokesley solicitor does or must I retain a solicitor for the final stages for my conveyancing in Stokesley?

Where you use an online conveyancer they should cover all the things your Stokesley conveyancer will cover.