My wife and I are purchasing a apartment in Whyteleafe. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? On completion day we will need to put funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

This question may be naive but I am new to the process as FTB of a ground floor flat in Whyteleafe. Do I receive the keys to the premises on the completion date from my conveyancer? If so, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Whyteleafe?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will transfer the completion advance to the owner’s lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be able to pick up the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.

have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a apartment in Whyteleafe has been accepted, what happens next?

Your estate agent will wish to be informed of your 's details (make sure the are on the lender’s approved list). Telephone or the broker and finish off any relevant documentation. will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to book a time for the valuation to take place. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. will send the offer to you and your . The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Whyteleafe.

I acquired my house on 12 May and my personal details is yet to be on the land registry website. Need I be worried? My conveyancing solicitor in Whyteleafe advises it would be registered inside ten days. Are properties in Whyteleafe uniquely lengthy to register?

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Whyteleafe registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can differ depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and if the Land registry have to notify any interested parties. As of today approximately three quarters of such applications are fully dealt with within two weeks but occasionally there can be longer hold-ups. Historically registration takes place once the buyer has moved in to the premises thus registration formalities is not usually primary concern but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your conveyancer should contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one close by in Whyteleafe I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Whyteleafe in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

Should you require a home loan that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this.

In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial property in Whyteleafe and how can your lawyers assist?

The particular law that you refer to gives security of tenure to business leaseholders, giving them the right to apply to court for a renewal tenancy and remain in occupation when the lease comes to an end. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are involved. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Whyteleafe is one of the numerous areas of the UK in which the firms we work with are located

I am looking at a couple of flats in Whyteleafe both have approximately 50 years remaining on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in Whyteleafe is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the value of the property. The majority of buyers and lenders, leases with less than eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Whyteleafe conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

I purchased a 1st floor flat in Whyteleafe, conveyancing was carried out 3 years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar flats in Whyteleafe with a long lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 50

You have 50 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.