The owners of the home we are looking to purchase have instructed a conveyancing firm in Coxhoe who has insisted on a preliminary agreement with a non-refundable deposit of 5k. Are such agreements sensible?

Exclusivity agreements are contracts between a property seller and purchaser giving the buyer exclusive rights to purchase the property for a limited period of time. For all intents and purposes, a lock out is a document specifying that you will be issued with a contract at a later time being the main conveyancing contract. It is generally utilised for buyer confidence though in some cases, the seller may stand to benefit from such agreements as well. There are many positives and negatives to using them but you need to check with your solicitor but beware that it may end up costing you more in conveyancing fees. For these reasons these agreements are not popular in relation to conveyancing in Coxhoe.

It is is a decade since I bought my home in Coxhoe. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been instructed on the sale but I am unable to locate the title deeds. Is this a major issue?

You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by your lender or they could be archived with the lawyers who handled the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Coxhoe relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it is more problematic but is not insurmountable.

I have recentlybeen informed that Wolstenholmes have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Coxhoe for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 9 months ago. How can I establish that my home is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to see if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Coxhoe conveyancing specialists.

My partner has recommend that I use his conveyancers in Coxhoe. Should I find my own solicitor?

There are no two ways about it the ideal way to choose a conveyancing solicitor is to seek recommendations from friends or family who have actually previously instructed the conveyancer that you are are thinking of instructing.

I only have 72 years remaining on my lease in Coxhoe. I now want to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application 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 done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. For most situations a specialist would be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Coxhoe.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Coxhoe - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

How much is the ground rent and service charge? On the whole the outlay for major works tend not to be wrapped into the maintenance charges, although some managing agents in Coxhoe ask leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance.