Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Berkshire is not on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of his work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Berkshire conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
I currently have a mortgage with Lloyds for my property in Berkshire. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Lloyds?
Lloyds must be informed of your intention in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Lloyds’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Lloyds 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 Lloyds directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Lloyds conveyancing panel firm.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in May 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Bank of Ireland are being difficult. The Berkshire solicitor who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Bank of Ireland are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Bank of Ireland have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Bank of Ireland have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Bank of Ireland 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.
I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by UBS. Is it usual for UBS to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Berkshire is approved on their conveyancing panel? UBS have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for UBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the UBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Me and my brother purchased a 4 bedroom Victorian property in Berkshire. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Nottingham Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to 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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Berkshire and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who conducted the work.
Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Berkshire. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Here are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Berkshire
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Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Please supply a car parking plan. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants.
My husband and I are first time buyers - agreed a price, yet the agent has warned us that the seller will only go ahead if we instruct the agent's preferred lawyers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a local conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Berkshire
We suspect that the owner is unaware of this demand. Should the owner desire ‘a quick sale', turning down a serious buyer is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Avoid the agents and go straight to the owners and make sure they comprehend that (a)you are serious buyers (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you do not need to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you intend to use your own,trusted Berkshire conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will earn the estate agent a commission or hit his conveyancing thresholds set by senior management.
I’m about to sell my 2 bed flat in Berkshire.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed however I have recently received a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?
It best that you pay the service charge as normal because all rents and maintenance charges will be apportionedas part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process