The owners of the property we are hoping to buy have instructed a conveyancing practitioner in Bristol who has suggested a preliminary agreement with a deposit 10k. Are such arrangements appropriate for Bristol conveyancing transactions?
This form of agreement is not the norm in Bristol, conveyancers are not keen on them as they detract from the primary objective, namely conveyancing and if you end up having your deposit forfeited then the lawyer is left exposed. Secondly, there is no assurance that just because the seller has entered into an exclusivity contract they will complete the sale with you. They may breach the contract if they receive a big enough financial inducement to do so because a wronged buyer with the benefit of a lockoutcontract will still have to establish consequential losses from the breach and these may not amount to the extra amount that your seller may obtain by reneging on the agreement, no matter how morally reprehensible that may be.
Having spent time researching mumsnet.com for an online solicitor in Bristol, many comment that I must use a CQS assured lawyer. Can you explain what CQS is?
The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) provides a kitemark for residential conveyancing practices issued by the Law Society. Membership achievement establishes a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers) based upon: * the integrity of the senior responsible officer and other key conveyancing staff * the firm's adherence to good practice management standards * adherence to best practice conveyancing procedures through the scheme protocol It includes many partnerships who carry out conveyancing in Bristol.
We are buying a 3 bedroom semi in Bristol. We would like to convert the garage to a playroom at the house.Will the conveyancing process include checks to see if these alterations are allowed?
Your property lawyer should review the registered title as conveyancing in Bristol can sometimes reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict certain changes or require the consent of a 3rd party. Certain works call for local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. It would be prudent to check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
Is it the case that all Bristol CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now make use of the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
My wife and I have organised the release of further funds on our mortgage from Leeds Building Society as we intend to carry out improvements to our property in Bristol. Do we need to choose a local Bristol solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Leeds Building Society do not ordinarily appoint a member of their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Leeds Building Society list.
I used Arc property Solicitors several years past for my conveyancing in Bristol. Now, I need the documents however the law firm has closed. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate 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 Bristol of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Bristol before retaining solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor advised that some banks will refuse to grant a mortgage on a flying freehold house.
It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Bristol. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Bristol to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
I've recently bought a leasehold house in Bristol. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
I bought a leasehold flat in Bristol, conveyancing having been completed 6 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Corresponding properties in Bristol with a long lease are worth £180,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2084
With 58 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £22,800 and £26,400 plus legals.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.