I was told today by my IFA that my Birkenhead solicitor is not on the lender Conveyancing panel. What can I do to check?
You need to call your Birkenhead lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to notify you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a Birkenhead conveyancing firm that is on the conveyancing panel for your bank.
Our nephew is about to exchange on a new build apartment in Birkenhead with a home loan from Coventry BS. His solicitor has said that there is a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?
The form is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when asked. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Coventry BS conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
Can you explain why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Birkenhead is more expensive?
Birkenhead leasehold conveyancing transactions usually involve additional investigations than freeholds including investigating the Lease, liaising with the Landlord such as serving applicable notices on the Landlord or managing agent, obtaining up-to-date service charge and management information, obtaining Landlord’s consents and reviewing management accounts and formation documents.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one close by in Birkenhead I like with open areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Birkenhead suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?
If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be problematic. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
Am I right to be concerned about brokers that I am dealing with are recommending a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Birkenhead conveyancing company?
As with lots of service providers, often input from connections can be most helpful. Yet there are lots of parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all recommend solicitors to retain. On occasion these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there might be a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are at liberty to appoint your own lawyer. Don't forget that the majority of banks have an approved list of lawyers you are obliged to use for the lender aspect of your transaction.
Online research suggests that Birkenhead solicitors are more expensive than licensed conveyancers in Birkenhead to use when buying a house. Am I better off using a conveyancer or a solicitor where I am buying a property in Birkenhead.
When it comes to conveyancing in Birkenhead the costs are unlikely to vary dramatically depending on whether the legal expert is a licenced conveyancer or solicitor.