I'm the sole recipient of my late grandmother’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Berkshire. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in February. I want to move. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my property ownership will be treated the same way as though I had purchased the property in February. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you could be caught by that. many mortgage companies would take a sensible view as this requirement is chiefly there to capture subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of property.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Berkshire. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Coventry BS be concerned?
Given that your lender is Coventry BS your lawyer must comply with the formal instructions contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Coventry BS. The CML Handbook includes minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to Coventry BS where a lease fails to comply with these requirements. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to Berkshire.
We expect to receive a OIP from Aldermore this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Aldermore recommend any Berkshire solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Berkshire solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Aldermore through the process.
I am close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Berkshire and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using an online conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Berkshire. Having lived in Berkshire for three years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get clarification that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same illness)
The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Berkshire. Conveyancing is necessary evil 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 conveyancing.
Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Berkshire
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The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Please supply a car parking plan. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. 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.
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £245,000 and found one near me in Berkshire I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Berkshire suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be problematic. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.
I'm remortgaging my existing property to a buy to let mortgage with The Royal Bank of Scotland and I will use the rest of the raised equity as a deposit on a second property. The location we are looking at is Berkshire. Will your solicitors be able to act for both sets of lenders and tie in the two deals?
Do use our comparison tool on this site to ensure that the solicitors are approved by both lenders. Having checked that they are your conveyancer will be able to simultaneously deal with the two transactions but you should have a chat with you solicitor and specify your desired outcome and requirements.
What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Berkshire conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Berkshire conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Berkshire conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be of use:
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If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
Leasehold Conveyancing in Berkshire - Examples of Queries before Purchasing
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Is anyone aware of any major works anticipated that will add a premium to the service costs? Many Berkshire leasehold properties will have a service bill for the upkeep of the building set by the landlord. Where you buy the apartment you will have to pay this contribution, normally periodically throughout the year. This could be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal grounds. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met yearly, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say about £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds. Does the lease have onerous restrictions?