My wife and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Wem and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. A local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers used an online conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Wem. Having lived in Wem for 5 years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to obtain confirmation need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer currently acting for you. What do they say? You should check with 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 ailment)

I decided to have a survey done on a property in Wem ahead of instructing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend refuse to issue a mortgage on a flying freehold home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different instructions from Nationwide. If you call us we can investigate further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Wem. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Wem especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Wem.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Wem and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Wem. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Wem area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Wem. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

Is it best to go with a Wem conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am hoping to buy? An old friend can conduct the legal formalities however his firm is located a couple of hundredmiles drive away.

The benefit of a local Wem conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to sign documents, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local intelligence which is a bonus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were impressed that must outweigh using an unknown Wem conveyancing lawyer just because they are based in the area.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 62 years left on my flat in Wem. I am keen to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What should I do?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to locate the freeholder. In some cases a specialist would be useful to try and locate and prepare an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Wem.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Wem - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? Does the lease include onerous restrictions? You should be aware that where the lease has no more than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering what this would cost. For most Wemlease extensions you will need to own the property for a couple of years in order to be entitled to carry out a lease extension.