At what point does exchange of contracts occur in domestic conveyancing in Houghton Regis and do I need to attend the lawyers branch?

Where you are in close proximity to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Houghton Regis you are invited in to sign contracts. However, the law practices we recommend offer a national conveyancing service and give as equally detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you by post or email. The executing of the sale agreement is not when everything is set in stone. A signed contract is necessary for the solicitor to officially exchange at the appropriate time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Houghton Regis)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Nottingham, do Houghton Regis property lawyers have to pay an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are not aware of any bank fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Houghton Regis. I have a mortgage agreed with Leeds Building Society. 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 Leeds Building Society, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Houghton Regis. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £175. Soon after, the solicitor contacted me sheepishly admitting 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.

Do commercial conveyancing searches disclose proposed roadworks that may impact a commercial premises in Houghton Regis?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Houghton Regis will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers expend in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Houghton Regis. The report sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Houghton Regis.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Houghton Regis it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately could result in delays to Houghton Regis commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not ordered for domestic conveyancing in Houghton Regis.

I am buying a new build house in Houghton Regis with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not disclose to my solicitor about the side-deal as it could impact my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am a negotiator for a long established estate agency in Houghton Regis where we have experienced a number of flat sales put at risk due to short leases. I have received conflicting advice from local Houghton Regis conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

Houghton Regis Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before buying

Does the lease include onerous restrictions? What is the the remaining lease term? It would be a good idea to enquire if the the lease includes any adverse restrictions in the lease. By way of example it is reasonably common in Houghton Regis leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Houghton Regis. If you like the propertyin Houghton Regis yet your cat can’t make the move with you then you will be presented with a hard compromise.