My partner and I are looking to buy a house in Bracknell and are in fact using a Bracknell conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Chelsea Building Society have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Bracknell conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?
If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Bracknell lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
Our mortgage company has recommended solicitors on their panel based in Bracknell but I would rather use a conveyancing lawyer in Bracknell or nearer to where I live. Can you assist?
It is by no means the case that all Bracknell conveyancing practitioners are listed all banks conveyancing panel. Do make the most of the above search tool to locate a Bracknell conveyancing conveyancer on the on the bank panel.
A relative advised me that if I am buying in Bracknell I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is usually included in the estimate for your Bracknell conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Bracknell around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Bracknell Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Bracknell.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our house can not be found. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Bracknell 4 years ago are no longer around. What do I do?
Gone are the days when you need to hold title original deeds to establish that you are the owner of your registered land or premises, as the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Bracknell I like with a park and station nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Bracknell for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.
Expecting to complete next month on a garden flat in Bracknell. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they are sending me a report tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?
Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Bracknell should include some of the following:
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Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property? The physical ownership of the demise. This will be the apartment itself but may incorporate a roof area or basement if relevant. Alterations to the flat Defining your legal entitlements in relation to the communal areas in the building.By way of example, does the lease contain a right of way over an accessway or staircase? The landlord’s rights to access the premises. You should be made aware that your landlord has rights of access as well as be informed how much notice must be provided.
Bracknell Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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Best to be warned whether window replacement or some other significant cost is due shortly to be shared by the leaseholders and may well dramatically increase the the maintenance charges or require a one time invoice. Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the building? How much is the annual service fee and ground rent?