It is 10 years ago since I bought my home in Biggleswade. Conveyancing lawyers have just been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate my title deeds. Will this cause complications?

Don’t worry too much. First the deeds may be retained by the mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in most cases the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Biggleswade relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.

2 months have gone by following my purchase conveyancing in Biggleswade took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one near me in Biggleswade I like with open areas and railway links nearby, however it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Biggleswade suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

My husband and I are new on the property ladder - had an offer accepted, but the property agent informed us that the seller will only issue a contract if we instruct the agent's chosen conveyancers as they need a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a family conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Biggleswade

It is unlikely the vendors are driving this. If they desire ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a genuine purchaser is going to damage their objectives. Avoid the agents and go straight to the owners and make sure they understand (a)you are genuine buyers (b)you are ready to go, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you will continue to use your own,trusted Biggleswade conveyancing firm - rather thanthe ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a referral fee or achieve conveyancing figures demanded by corporate headquarters.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Biggleswade - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

The best form of lease arrangement is if the freehold title is owned by the leaseholders. In this situation the lessees have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually employed where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. Most Biggleswade leasehold flats will incur a service bill for maintenance of the building levied on behalf of the freeholder. Where you acquire the property you will have to meet this amount, usually in instalments throughout the year. This can differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal areas. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge to be met annual, normally this is not a significant figure, say about £25-£75 but you should to enquire as occasionally it can be surprisingly expensive. What prohibitions are there in the Biggleswade Lease?