Me and my partner are purchasing a property in Beckton. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? On completion day we have to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Beckton. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Principality have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Principality your lawyer must comply with the formal instructions contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Principality. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Principality where a lease does not satisfy these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Beckton.
I've read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Beckton solicitor - who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Clydesdale will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Clydesdale 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Beckton surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
What will a local search reveal concerning the property I am purchasing in Beckton?
Beckton conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for example Searchflow The local search plays an important role in many a Beckton conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any nasty once you have moved into your new home. The search should provide data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic areas.
three months have gone by following my purchase conveyancing in Beckton completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
How does conveyancing in Beckton differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Beckton contact us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is completed. This is because builders in Beckton tend to acquire the real estate, 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 property lawyers 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Beckton or who has acted in the same development.
I was advised by numerous selling agents in Beckton to locate a solicitor on your site. What’s the financial inducement for Estate Agents to offer your services ahead of another?
We refuse to give any financial incentive for sending work in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.
How much experience do your Beckton conveyancing solicitors have with Help To Buy, Shared Equity and similar schemes?
Beckton conveyancing lawyers help thousands of buyers move home every year and assisted lots of clients through the Help To Buy scheme. The chances are that whatever makes your case unique Beckton conveyancers have worked on recent similar matters.