We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The lender mentioned the mortgage came with free conveyancing. Is the implication that I have to instruct their panel conveyancer as I would much rather appoint a Caversham Heights based conveyancing firm?

Do check but the chances are that appoint one of their panel conveyancers should you accept the "fee-free" incentive. Call the lender and explore if they offer you a monetary alternative. In the past a few lenders offered a £250 cashback as a further option in which case that money can go towards the cost for your conveyancing solicitor in Caversham Heights.

Do I choose a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Caversham Heights?

There are many registered licenced Conveyancers in Caversham Heights and Solicitor practices in Caversham Heights offering conveyancing It is important to make clear that both are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal work in transferring property. The two can handle associated property related work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.

We previously selected conveyancing lawyers located in Caversham Heights on the Nottingham solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a separate sum for dealing with the Nottingham mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Nottingham?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your solicitor may charge a fee for this. This charge is not set by Nottingham but by your Caversham Heights solicitor. Some firms on the Nottingham panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

Can I be sure that the Caversham Heights conveyancing solicitor on the Nationwide panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Caversham Heights getting recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your conveyancing.

Will my solicitor be raising questions about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Caversham Heights.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors carrying out conveyancing in Caversham Heights. Some people will purchase a house in Caversham Heights, fully expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, however there are a various searches that can be carried out by the purchaser or by their solicitors which can give them a better appreciation of the risks in Caversham Heights. The conventional set of information given to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a usual inquiry of the seller to find out if the premises has historically flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the seller, then a purchaser may commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading answer. A buyer’s conveyancers will also commission an environmental report. This will reveal whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations will need to be initiated.

My fiance and I may need to let out our Caversham Heights basement flat for a while due to a new job. We instructed a Caversham Heights conveyancing firm in 2003 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time seek any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your previous Caversham Heights conveyancing solicitor is no longer around you can review your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the apartment. The rule is that if the deeds are non-specific, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to obtain consent from your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet in the absence of first obtaining consent. The consent should not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

Caversham Heights Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

Most Caversham Heights leasehold flats will incur a service bill for maintenance of the building set by the landlord. Should you purchase the property you will have to pay this contribution, usually periodically accross the year. This can be anything from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. In all probability there will be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, normally this is not a significant amount, say around £25-£75 but you should to enquire it because sometimes it can be surprisingly expensive. It is important to be aware whether fixing the lift or some other significant cost is anticipated that will be shared between the leaseholders and will materially impact the level of the maintenance costs or result in a specific payment. The answer will be useful as a) areas could cause problems for the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will want to have all the details

I own a leasehold flat in Caversham Heights. Conveyancing was finished in 2010. I have read on a number of advice forums that I mustn’t allow the lease length fall too low. Why is that a problem?

Caversham Heights domestic long term leases are for a prescribed period - usually ninety nine years when they started. However many flats in Caversham Heights were built or converted in the 70’s80’s and so these leases now have fewer than eighty years unexpired. This may seem like a long time however Banks, Building Societies and other mortgage companies tend to need leases to have a minimum of 75 years unexpired to be mortgageable. Accordingly when you come to sell the property you will need to extend the term of your lease if you are getting close to seventy five years. To maximise the saleability of your property you should be thinking about whether or not to extend your lease long before you come to sell it. There are also significant benefits to doing so before the lease reaches even 80 years as when the lease is less than eighty years the amount you have to pay to extend starts to increase.