My husband and I are intending to acquire a 2 bedroom flat in Belper with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Belper lawyer, however the bank says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel firms or keep our Belper lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Belper conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
When does exchange of contracts occur in purchase conveyancing in Belper and am I required to be at the solicitors office?
If you are in close proximity to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Belper you are invited in to sign documents. However, the lender approved solicitors we recommend supply countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide just as detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you digitally. The executing of the property agreement is not the critical part. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the conveyancer to exchange contracts at the appropriate time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Belper)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.
We are aiming to move home in July. Does my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the completion day. On a separate note, can you suggest a removal company in Belper. Conveyancing solicitor was chosen before I stumbled across this site.
On the day of completion you will need to pick up the house keys from your property agent but this can only happen after the previous owners conveyancers advise the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be released. You will need to inform the removal company that they can start moving you in. We are not in a position to recommend a specific removal organisation but can assist you in choosing a conveyancing in Belper or a solicitor that specialises in conveyancing in Belper.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Belper. I have a mortgage agreed with RBS. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with RBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel.
I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Co-operative are being pedantic. The Belper solicitor who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Co-operative are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Co-operative have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Co-operative have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Co-operative may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
It has been 3 months following my purchase conveyancing in Belper took place. 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 premises 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.
Is it best to appoint a Belper conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? An old friend can execute the legal formalities however they are based approximately 350kilometers away.
The primary upside of using a local Belper conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Belper know how is a benefit. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have used your friend and they were content that must trump using an unfamiliar Belper conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being based in the area.
I own a leasehold flat in Belper. Conveyancing was finished in 2011. I have been told that I mustn’t allow the lease length get too short. Why is that a problem?
Belper leasehold properties are for a fixed period - often 99 years when they are first granted. However a significant flats in Belper were constructed or converted 35 or more years ago and so such leases now have less than 80 years left to run. This may seem like a long time but Banks, Building Societies and other mortgage institutions on the whole require leases to have at least seventy five years unexpired to be mortgageable. Accordingly when you come to sell the property you will need to extend the term of your lease if you are nearing seventy five years. To enhance the marketability of your property you should be considering whether to extend your lease long before you come to sell it. Furthermore advantages to doing so before the lease reaches even eighty years as when the lease falls below 80 years the amount to be paid to extend starts to increase.