I do hope you can help me. My Ascot lawyer is advising me that he is legally obliged toconduct Ascot conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Santanderconveyancing panel. These Ascot checks cost a lot of money can this be avoided?
You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with a bank your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your property lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Ascot conveyancing searches.
I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Ascot for our house purchase. Our financial adviser informed us that our mortgage lenders Nottingham Building Society won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?
Banks tend to imposes restrictions either the type or the volume of conveyancing solicitors on their member panel. Typical examples of such criteria being that a firm must not be a sole practitioner. In addition to restricting the profile of firm, some have decided to limit the amount of firms they allow to act for them. You should note that Nottingham Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Nottingham Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a primary driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels since 2008 even though there are mixed opinions regarding the level of solicitor engagement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Ascot only carry out a couple conveyances per annum.
I am aiming to move house in March. Does my conveyancing solicitor update the removal company on the completion day. As an aside, can you put forward a removal company in Ascot. Conveyancing firm was organised prior to coming across your page.
On the day of completion you will need to pick up the house keys from the estate agent but this should only happen after the previous owners lawyers inform the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be passed over. After that you will need to advise the removal company that you are ready to move in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a specific removal organisation but can assist you in choosing a conveyancing in Ascot or a solicitor that specialises in conveyancing in Ascot.
is it true that all Ascot conveyancing solicitors on the UBS conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the UBS approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be overseen by the CLC.
It is not clear whether my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Ascot bank branch on numerous occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Ascot conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- called and was told they would not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
The lawyer has to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook section two provisions for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.
I used Arc property Solicitors a few years past for my conveyancing in Ascot. Now, I need the files however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do 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 Ascot of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
About to purchase a new build flat in Ascot. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Ascot
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The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry.
Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor apartment in Ascot. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have just received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?
It best that you discharge the maintenance contribution as you normally would as all ground rent and maintenance invoices will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.
Ascot Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to buying
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Best to be warned whether window replacement or some other significant cost is due in the near future that will be shared amongst the leasehold owners and will materially impact the level of the service fees or necessitate a one off invoice. What restrictions are contained in the Ascot Lease? This question is important as a) areas can cause problems for the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if services are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will wish to have complete disclosure