My grandmother passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Birmingham. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Bank of Ireland, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
Where you plan to re-mortgage then Bank of Ireland will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Bank of Ireland mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
A colleague advised me that if I am buying in Birmingham I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Birmingham conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Birmingham around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Birmingham Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Birmingham.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Birmingham I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Birmingham in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.
I am selling my home. My former solicitors have shut. It would be helpful to have a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. Im based in Birmingham if that makes things easier.
Please use our search tool to help you find a solicitor for your conveyancing in Birmingham. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with regulated solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move goes smoothly.
I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to be perfect, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just been informed that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Birmingham. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?
The majority of houses in Birmingham are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Birmingham in which case you should be looking for a Birmingham conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.
Birmingham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before buying
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Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the tenants? You will want to find out as much as you can about the company managing the building as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day issues such as the cleanliness of the communal areas. You should not be afraid to ask other tenants what they think of them. In conclusion, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the appropriate party and specifically what it includes. Are there any major works anticipated that will increase the maintenance costs?
Why do Birmingham conveyancing charges are higher for leasehold and freehold properties?
If purchasing a leasehold property there is more work involved purely due to the fact that usually there are further parties involved in the form of the freeholder and/or Management Agents. As part of a lawyers enquiries they will check that all ground rent and service charges are paid up to date amongst other general leasehold matters. For this reason, the Sellers lawyers usually have to refer to the freeholder or Managing Agent for their replies to our questions. This may be time consuming and beyond the lawyers control