My wife and I are about to exchange on the purchase of a property in Batley but as a consequence of damage from the recent storms I have managed to agree recompense from the owner of £2k in the form of a deduction in the price. I had intended this to be dealt with as part of a side agreement however Barclays are not allowing this. Should they have been informed?
Your property lawyer that is on a Barclays conveyancing panel is obliged to advise Barclays of any changes to the purchase price. If you prohibit your solicitor to report the reduction to Barclays then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Barclays and you would have to appoint a new lawyer for your conveyancing in Batley.
I am assisting my niece sell her flat in Batley. Will the conveyancing solicitor arrange the EPC or should I organise this?
After the abolition of Home Packs, energy assessments remained a required element of selling a house. An energy performance certificate needs to be to hand before the property is advertised. It is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms ordinarily arrange. Where you are using a Batley conveyancing solicitor they might be able to arrange EPC’s due to their contacts with reputable Batley providers
I have paid off my mortgage with Coventry BS. I assume I don't need a Batley solicitor on the Coventry BS panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Coventry BS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Coventry BS mortgage from the register. Coventry BS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Coventry BS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Coventry BS has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I currently have a mortgage with HSBC for my property in Batley. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform HSBC?
HSBC must be informed of your intention in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of HSBC’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact HSBC directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a HSBC conveyancing panel solicitor.
I have been told that property searches are the primary cause of stalling in Batley conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the common causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Batley.
I purchased a terraced Victorian house in Batley. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Skipton Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for 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 Batley and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.
My business partner and I are wishing to take over a lease of an office on a shopping parade. Can you recommend lawyers offering no-move-no charges for non-domestic conveyancing in Batley for under £1,200?
We can recommend firms who host a wealth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Batley, including the disposal and acquisition of businesses as well as simply property. Whether you are intending to purchase or lease a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a whole business we can find you the right lawyer. As for the charges this will depend on the structure and complexity of the proposed transaction. Let us have your contact information or phone so as to enable us to provide you with a detailed commercial conveyancing calculation.
I need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer in Batley for my sale. Is it possible to review a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
You may review documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For details Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may monitor call for training purposes.