Why do I have to pay up front for my conveyancing in Banstead?
Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Banstead your solicitor will ask you to provide them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. If any down payment is payable against the sale price then this should be asked for shortly before exchange of contracts. The closing balance that is due should be sent to your lawyer a couple of days prior to the completion date.
We hope to to buy with Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. We have called around locally but am struggling to find a Banstead conveyancing firm on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society approved list. Can you help?
You should take advantage of the search tool on this web page. Pick the building society and type Banstead or your location and you will see a number of lawyer located in Banstead or near you.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Banstead. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Nottingham be concerned?
Given that your lender is Nottingham your lawyer must follow the conveyancing instructions set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Nottingham. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Nottingham where a lease does not meet these requirements. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Banstead.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Banstead off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Clydesdale. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Banstead. My mortgage broker suggested a conveyancer. I paid an on account payment of £150. A few days later, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nottingham panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
My wife and I purchased a renovated Georgian property in Banstead. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Clydesdale. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. Is it worth asking Clydesdale to clarify?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Banstead and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.
How does conveyancing in Banstead differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Banstead contact us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because builders in Banstead tend to buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Banstead or who has acted in the same development.
Can I discover who owns a property in Banstead?
As long as the property is registered with the Land Registry, and you have the information of the location of the property, you should be able to see details from the HMLR of the recorded owner for a for less than a fiver.