Can you explain why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Strood is more expensive?

Strood leasehold properties involve far more paperwork than a freehold purchase, and therefore takes more time to examine and advise upon.Conveyancing will involve the lease having to be checked which is usually a lengthy document, queries raised to ensure that the covenants and conditions have been observed. If it is a flat there will be a management company in existence and the accounts of this will need to be checked and enquiries raised to ensure it is operating efficiently and that all monies due have been paid by the Seller to the company and if not ensuring that money is paid up to date or the appropriate undertakings obtained.

I am assisting my step-mother sell her property in Strood. Does the conveyancer order the EPC or should I organise this?

After the demise of HIPs, energy performance certificates was left as a required part of moving property. An energy performance certificate must be to hand in advance of the property being marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that conveyancers normally arrange. Where you are using a Strood conveyancing practitioner they might be willing to arrange energy assessments due to their contacts with long established Strood providers

A colleague pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Strood there may be various restrictions preventing external changes to the property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Strood which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Strood should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I am expecting a AIP from Barclays this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Barclays recommend any Strood solicitors on the Barclays conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Strood solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Barclays conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Barclays through the process.

I am downsizing from our house in Strood and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed an online conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Strood. Having lived in Strood for 5 years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to get confirmation that the buyers are looking for.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You need to 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 sickness)

It has been 3 months since my purchase conveyancing in Strood took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the asset from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement flat in Strood. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have recently had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear the service charge as you normally would as all ground rent and service payments will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I acquired a split level flat in Strood, conveyancing having been completed in 1999. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar properties in Strood with an extended lease are worth £227,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2096

You have 71 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.