The Berrylands conveyancing solicitors that just started acting on my house acquisition in Berrylands have without warning closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a firm on the UBS conveyancing panel and my preferred Berrylands lawyer was not. I paid them 275 plus VAT in advance. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the UBS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to assist.
I am assisting my mother sell her property in Berrylands. Does the solicitor order the energy assessment or it is for me to see to?
After the abolition of Home Packs, energy assessments was left as a mandatory component of moving house. An energy assessment needs to be commissioned prior to the property being marketed. It is not something that solicitors ordinarily arrange. Where you are using a Berrylands conveyancing lawyer they might be able to arrange energy performance certificates due to their relationships with reputable Berrylands energy assessors
This question may be naive but I am unseasoned as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Berrylands. Do I collect the keys to the premises on completion from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will find a local conveyancing solicitor in Berrylands?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the completion advance to the vendor’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be able to pick up the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.
We had appointed conveyancing lawyers located in Berrylands on the Leeds Building Society solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a separate charge for the legal aspects of the Leeds Building Society mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Leeds Building Society?
Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer may levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Leeds Building Society but by your Berrylands solicitor. Numerous firms on the Leeds Building Society panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I used Action Conveyancing several years ago for my conveyancing in Berrylands. Now, I need the documents however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Berrylands of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I'm converting the mortgage on my current property to a BTL loan with Bank of Ireland and intend to use the remaining equity as a deposit on further property. The location we are interested in is Berrylands. Will your conveyancers be able to act for the two lenders and link together the two deals?
Do use our search tool on this site to check that the solicitors are approved by both banks. Assuming that they are your conveyancer will be able to connect the two transactions but you should talk with you solicitor and communicate your desired outcome and requirements.
Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years unexpired on my flat in Berrylands. I am keen to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What are my options?
On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the freeholder. In some cases an enquiry agent may be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare a report to be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Berrylands.
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without any joy. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such matters? Can you recommend a Berrylands conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?
Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a Berrylands conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Berrylands residence is Flat D 15 Claremont Gardens in September 2013. TheTribunal determined in accordance with section48 and Schedule13 of the Leasehold Reform,Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease should be fourteen thousand one hundred and eighty seven pounds (£14,187.00) This case affected 1 flat.
Why can I not complete my conveyancing in Berrylands on a bank holiday?
Because on completion the funds needs to be transferred electronically between the banks of the purchaser and seller's solicitor and currently this can only happen on a working day. It is not possible to complete on a weekend either.