We plan to purchase a medieval barn conversion in the parish of Carshalton. Do we need a chancel search?
A Redhill conveyancing solicitor may suggest that a chancel search is taken out, whichever parish in which the property being purchased is found. In Redhill's much older areas, chancel repair may be imposed on the owners of a property where Parochial Church Councils have not imposed the same liability on the last owners, so the solicitor will be unable to make any guarantees, and will recommend insurance.
The Redhill home being purchased is on a brownfield site. Is the soil potentially contaminated?
With this region's industrial history in parts of Redhill, topsoil contamination is inescapable. Environment search results will factor contaminants, including metals and others such as radioactive waste.
How soon do we need to get a conveyancing solicitor to handle our transaction?
Whether buying or selling, the sooner you instruct a conveyancing firm, the better. The legal work can then commence straight away. Prompt instruction of a firm to act for you on your Redhill transaction for a sale enables documents can be prepared earlier, considerably accelerating the whole process, whereas if you are buying you can shave days off the process by having the details of your instructed solicitor ready when you make an offer.
A right of way on the property I’m buying is redundant, but how do I get it removed from the deeds and registry?
A right of way through the grounds of a property is probably an inheritance before other building in the vicinity occurred that has since made the passage through redundant.
But, while having the right of way registered with the deeds means that feasibly someone could insist that they use it (as their public right), but, if they can’t access where the right of way originally led, it makes it a pointless activity.
It’s so unlikely that anyone will want to do this that you have to weigh up the cost of the legal process to get the right of way officially removed against not proceeding. However, if you are at all worried, talk to your solicitor so that it can be investigated further as part of the conveyancing, at which point they can guide you on the appropriate action and the associated costs (this will be in addition to the standard fees for the conveyancing and your solicitor will advise of this additional cost).
Homeward Legal's solicitors provide transparent quotes, detailing what is included in the fees and disbursements and will help with estimates for additional legal work. So, now is the best time to get your conveyancing under way on 0800 038 6699.
What should I do about the transfer of ownership of the utility billing?
It is the responsibility of the former owners to inform the utilities firms (gas, electricity, water, etc.) that they are moving.
You should give your current suppliers at least 48 hours’ notice that you’re moving home and, when you leave your old property, you should take all the necessary readings and send them to your old supplier(s) along with your forwarding address, so that they can send you a final bill and sort out any credit you might be owed.
You should give your new utility suppliers at least 48 hours giving your personal details for the new property. When you move into your new property, you should take all the readings again and send them to the new suppliers so that they have a record of where to start the bills running.