My husband and I are intending to buy a 1 bedroom flat in Aperfield with a mortgage. We have a Aperfield solicitor, but the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel solicitors or continue with our Aperfield conveyancer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We feel that this is inequitable; can we not insist that the bank use our Aperfield property lawyer ?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Aperfield conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I have been referred to a conveyancing solicitor in Aperfield. I need to find out if they are accepted on the Santander conveyancing panel. Can you help?
The first thing to do is call your solicitor and ask them whether they are on the lender panel. Otherwise you can get in touch with Santander who may be able to assist.
This question may be naive but I am new to the home buying as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Aperfield. Do I collect the keys to the premises on the completion date from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Aperfield?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the purchase money to the seller's conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be invited to collect the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens between 1 and 3pm.
We are buying a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Aperfield. Our aim is to an extension at the rear at the house.Will legal investigations on the property include enquiries to see if these works are allowed?
Your property lawyer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Aperfield will on occasion identify restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit certain works or necessitated the consent of a 3rd party. Some works require local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
Is it the case that all Aperfield solicitor firms on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Yorkshire BS approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I used Action Conveyancing a few years past for my conveyancing in Aperfield. I now require my papers however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Aperfield of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I was advised by a number of selling agents in Aperfield to choose a solicitor on your site. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to offer your lawyers over alternative conveyancing organisations?
We refuse to give any commission for pointing buyers and sellers in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
I am employed by a long established estate agent office in Aperfield where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales put at risk due to short leases. I have been given contradictory information from local Aperfield conveyancing solicitors. Please can you confirm whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the buyer?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
I am the proprietor of a a ground floor purpose built flat in Aperfield. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the sum payable for a lease extension?
Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Aperfield conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Aperfield residence is 1 Southlands Court Southlands Road in September 2013. The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal determined that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 was £30,541 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 50.57 years.