It is a dozen years since I bought my house in Barnes Cray. Conveyancing lawyers have just been retained on the sale but I can't find my deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by your mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who handled the purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Barnes Cray involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is not registered it is more problematic but is resolvable.
My flat in Barnes Cray is up for sale and I have accepted an offer. Will my lawyer need to be on the Principality conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Principality conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their panel criteria fairly frequently currently.
We previously selected solicitors locally in Barnes Cray on the Virgin Money solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a supplemental charge for handling the Virgin Money mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Virgin Money?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your lawyer may levy a fee for this. This charge is not set by Virgin Money but by your Barnes Cray lawyer. Some firms on the Virgin Money panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
My fiancee and I are in the process of looking at flats in Barnes Cray and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a lawyer in place at this point? I am planning to take a home loan with Nationwide.
You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the selling agent. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Nationwide, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
It is not clear whether my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Barnes Cray bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Barnes Cray conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they will not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I have no idea who is right.
Your solicitor has to follow the CML Handbook Part 2 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've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a quick, no chain conveyancing. Barnes Cray is where the house is located. Can you offer any advice?
Flying freeholds in Barnes Cray are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Barnes Cray you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Barnes Cray may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
I am a sole trader hoping to lease a unit on the high street. Can you recommend conveyancers offering competitive charges for non-domestic conveyancing in Barnes Cray for less than £1,200?
We can recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Barnes Cray, including the sale and purchase of businesses as well as simply premises. Whether you are looking to purchase or sell a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail unit or a complete business we will put you in touch with the right solicitor. As for the costs this will depend on the structure and nuances of the proposed transaction. Let us have your details or telephone so as to enable us to provide you with comprehensive commercial conveyancing calculation.
We have just found out that one of the partners of the firm acting on the purchase conveyancing in Barnes Cray is related to the seller. Is this acceptable?
As long as there is no conflict of interest this should be fine. If you are requiring a home loan then the bank may have a say as many lenders have specific instructions concerning this. For example for RBS - Direct Line as of 19/1/2025, the requirements read as follows :