My aunt passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Bedford Park. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £4500. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Principality, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?
Where you plan to re-mortgage then Principality will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Principality conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Principality conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Principality mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
is it true that all Bedford Park solicitor practices on the UBS conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the UBS approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the SRA. The majority of mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be governed by the CLC.
We previously chose solicitors locally in Bedford Park on the TSB solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a supplemental sum for the legal aspects of the TSB mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by TSB?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner is entitled to charge a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by TSB but by your Bedford Park lawyer. Some firms on the TSB panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some practices include it on their overall fee.
I've read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Bedford Park solicitor - who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Leeds Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Leeds Building Society 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 Bedford Park 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.
How does conveyancing in Bedford Park differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Bedford Park approach us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is completed. This is because developers in Bedford Park tend to acquire the land, 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 Bedford Park or who has acted in the same development.
I am 3 weeks into a freehold purchase having been referred to solicitors by the selling agent to do our conveyancing in Bedford Park. I am am very disappointed with the quality of service. Could you help me find new conveyancers?
They would have to be very poor in order to consider changing them. Has the mortgage been sent? If so you will need to advise them of the new conveyancer and have the offer are re-issued. Your conveyancer should be on the lenders panel to avoid added fees and delays. That should be your starting point. The search tool can assist you in finding a bank approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Bedford Park
I work for a long established estate agency in Bedford Park where we have witnessed a few flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Bedford Park conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the buyer?
Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.
An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
I inherited a first floor flat in Bedford Park. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the amount due for the purchase of the freehold?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Bedford Park conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Bedford Park property is 169 Southfield Road in September 2013. the tribunal decided that the premium to be paid in respect of the collective enfranchisement should be £51,203 This case was in relation to 2 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 64.64 years.
I note that you have a post code search directory identifying law firms on the bank conveyancing panel. Do Bedford Park conveyancing companies pay you a referral fee if I appoint them for my own conveyancing?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Bedford Park.