I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Cambridge Heath. I have a mortgage agreed with Clydesdale. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel.
I can not fathom if my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have called my Cambridge Heath bank branch on various occasions and was told it does not affect the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Cambridge Heath conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called and was told they refuse to lend based on their published requirements. Who do I believe?
As long as the property lawyer is on the bank panel, they must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Cambridge Heath. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their solicitor. I paid an advanced payment of £175. Soon after, the property lawyer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Lloyds panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I have todaydiscovered that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Cambridge Heath for a purchase of a leasehold flat 18 months ago. How can I check that my home is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?
The quickest method to check if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Cambridge Heath conveyancing specialists.
Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Cambridge Heath before retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor advised that some lenders may not issue a mortgage on this type of property.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Cambridge Heath. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Cambridge Heath especially if they are familiar with such properties in Cambridge Heath.
Are there any apps to help locate a Cambridge Heath solicitor on the The Royal Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am happy to travel upto 25miles to meet the conveyancer.
You can use the facility on this page. Please pick a bank and your location and you will see a number of Cambridge Heath conveyancing lawyers based on proximity. We have detailed some Cambridge Heath conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can call them to verify if they are on the The Royal Bank of Scotland approved list
Am I best advised to use a Cambridge Heath conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? An old friend can conduct the legal work but her office is 200kilometers away.
The primary upside of using a local Cambridge Heath conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to execute paperwork, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them where appropriate. Having local Cambridge Heath know how is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who used your friend and they were content that must surpass using an unfamiliar Cambridge Heath conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being round the corner.
When it comes to my conveyancing in Cambridge Heath should I be paying VAT on the following: (1) Land reg fee on purchase (2) Pre - completion search fee (3) SDLT E submission on purchase (4) Bank TT fee
(1) Land reg fee on purchase - No (2) Pre - completion search fees -No, (such conveyancing searches are HMLR ones and means £4 and possibly £2 bankruptcy per name on your mortgage) (3) SDLT E submission on your purchase - There is no VAT on Stamp Duty. However if the firm is charging a stamp duty e-submission fee as part of their services - some Cambridge Heath conveyancers do - that will incur VAT(4) Bank transfer fee - Yes it is for the property lawyer's time in submitting the funds this way.