Why do I have to pay up front for my conveyancing in Taverham?

If you are buying a property in Taverham your solicitor will request that you put them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. If any down payment is payable against the total price then this should be asked for immediately in advance of contracts are exchanged. The final balance that is needed will be payable shortly before completion.

I happen to be the sole recipient of my late mum's estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Taverham. The Taverham property was put into my name in June. I want to move. I understand that there is a CML 6 month 'rule', which means that my property ownership will be considered the same way as if I'd bought the house in June. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The CML handbook obliges solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you could be impacted by that. Some mortgage companies would take a pragmatic view as this provision is principally there to pick up on subsales or the flipping of property.

I can not fathom if my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Taverham building society branch on numerous occasions and was told it does not impact the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Taverham conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they will not lend in accordance with their specific requirements. Who do I believe?

The solicitor must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook section two provisions for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Taverham. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £200. Not long after, the conveyancer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Lloyds 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 Lloyds 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.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Taverham I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Taverham for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

I would like to sublet my leasehold apartment in Taverham. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?

A small minority of properties in Taverham do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

I purchased a studio flat in Taverham, conveyancing formalities finalised December 2012. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Taverham with a long lease are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2090

With 65 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £13,300 and £15,400 as well as legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.

My father purchased his flat in Taverham 9 years ago. He has got wed, widowed and in recent months got remarried. He will be marketing the apartment in a couple of months. I suspect that he will simply be need to provide a copy of the marriage certificates to the conveyancing practitioner however he is concerned it could frustrate the home sale. Should he appoint a conveyancer to update the land title information for the property?

You are not required to bring up to date the title for the property as long as you have the evidence required to demonstrate how the change of name has come about.

Any buyer’s conveyancing practitioner should check the land registry details and requisition evidence to prove the change of name for instance marriage documentation.