Are the Barbican conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Clydesdale?
Barbican conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Clydesdale directly.
We were going to get a AIP from TSB this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do TSB recommend any Barbican solicitors on the TSB conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Barbican solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the TSB conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and TSB through the process.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Barbican. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Barbican solicitor - who is on the UBS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
UBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually UBS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Barbican postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with UBS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Barbican.
I have recentlydiscovered that Wolstenholmes have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Barbican for a purchase of a freehold house 18 months ago. How can I check that the property is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest way to see if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Barbican conveyancing specialists.
How does conveyancing in Barbican differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Barbican contact us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because developers in Barbican 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Barbican or who has acted in the same development.
I opted to have a survey done on a house in Barbican prior to retaining solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor advised that some mortgage companies may refuse to issue a mortgage on such a premises.
It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can check with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Barbican. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
Helen (my wife) and I may need to sub-let our Barbican garden flat for a while due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Barbican conveyancing firm in 2002 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?
A small minority of properties in Barbican do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.
My wife and I have hit a brick wall in seeking a lease extension in Barbican. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?
Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Barbican conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Barbican property is 137 & 139 Haberdasher Street in December 2013. The Tribunal determines in accordance with section 48 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease for each Property should be £12,350.00. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 72.39 years.