Simon Manuel from Clegg Manuel solicitors tells us about pitfalls in property law.

One buyer of a property in Chelsea nearly became a victim of fraud, Clegg Manuel however discovered that the property to sell was not owned by the seller.

Another problem encountered by one of their clients was that when someone sold a flat with a roof extension, Clegg Manuel found out that the client didn’t own the space above their flat, the property owned by them ended with the ceiling of the flat.

Someone bought a house next to a medieval church and got lumbered with a bill of £200,000 to help build a new roof for the church as it was enshrined in local law that the parishioners would pay for the upkeep of the church.

If you buy a leasehold, you need to find out about the service charges, are there any plans to put new lifts into the building etc.

These are the things Clegg Manuel do when they act for a buyer.

When they act for a seller, they make sure that the sellers have everything in place that they are legally required to sort out like HIPs and EPCs.

Clegg Manuel also act for the lenders who have really strict requirements, and can also act for buyers and lenders at the same time if need be.

The three lawyers who specialise on residential conveyancing are all hugely experienced, Roshonara has been with Clegg Manuel for 9 years for example.

They agree a fixed fee at the beginning, they pride themselves on service, quick response times.

Clegg Manuel get most of their work from Estate Agents and are looking for more contacts, especially with Saville’s in Islington. They work a lot with property finders who find places for people abroad, other law firms are good contacts – not many law firms do residential conveyancing, and mortgage advisers are good contacts, too.

Posted by Anuschka from Moustique Design