I am buying a property mortgage free in Washington. I have lived for the last twelve years in Washington. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. As I know the road and vicinity intimately should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a home loan, then almost all of the Washington conveyancing searches are optional. Your conveyancer will 'advise', no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches done, but she is duty bound to do this. One thing to take into account; if you are going to sell the house one day, it could be of relevance to your future buyer what the searches disclose. On occasion houses with day to day issues can still show up unexpected search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Washington should provide you some constructive advice in this regard.

Just bought a terraced house in Washington , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to record my title? My Washington conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be sure that my purchase is recorded.

As far as conveyancing in Washington is concerned, registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of England and Wales. Rather than based on location, timeframes can differ depending on who lodges the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry communicate with any other parties. Currently roughly 80% of such applications are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but some can be subject to protracted hold-ups. Historically registration is effected once the purchaser is living at the property therefore post completion formalities is not usually an essential issue yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers could speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I am looking for a flat up to £305k and found one close by in Washington I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Washington suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

If you need a home loan that many years will be an issue. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

We are 3 weeks into a leasehold purchase having been referred to solicitors by the local agent to perform conveyancing in Washington. I am am extremely dissatisfied with the quality of service. Can you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?

A lawyer would need to be very bad to suggest changing them. Has your mortgage been issued? In the event that it has you must make them aware of the new conveyancer and have the loan are issued to the new lawyers. Your new conveyancer needs to be on the mortgage company panel to avoid escalating fees and frustration. That should be your starting point. The search tool should help you find a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Washington

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Washington conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Washington conveyancing practice) it is most important that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggest that you speak with two or three firms including non Washington conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be helpful:

Can they put you in touch with clients in Washington who can give a testimonial? How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation?

Washington Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

What is the service charge and ground rent on the flat? It would be prudent to find out as much as possible regarding the managing agents as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical matters like the upkeep of the common parts. Enquire of prospective neighbours what they think of them. On a final note, find out the dates that the service charges are due to the managing agents and specifically how they are spending the funds. What is the the remaining lease term?