We are about to sign contracts for a ground floor flat in Canary Wharf. We have hit a problem. Our mortgage offer with TSB expires on 28/8/2026 but the sellers are putting forward a completion date of 2/9/2026. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage offer?
The person best placed to deal with your issue is your lawyer who should calculate whether they corresponding with the mortgage company, seller’s lawyers, selling agents or conceivably all three based on what has happend in your conveyancing as of today.
We had instructed conveyancers located in Canary Wharf on the HSBC solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me an additional charge for handling the HSBC mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by HSBC?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancer can levy a fee for this. This charge is not set by HSBC but by your Canary Wharf solicitor. Some firms on the HSBC panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of practices include it on their overall fee.
My partner and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Skipton as we wish to conduct renovations to our home in Canary Wharf. Are we obliged to select a bricks and mortar Canary Wharf solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Skipton don't usually instruct 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 Skipton panel.
My fiancee and I are at the point of looking at flats in Canary Wharf and I am about to put in an offer. Is it best to have my solicitor on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a mortgage with Barclays.
You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the estate agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with Barclays, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
I own a 4 bedroom Edwardian house in Canary Wharf. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Barclays Direct. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Canary Wharf and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.
I am buying a new build apartment in Canary Wharf. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Canary Wharf
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There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Canary Wharf is where the house is located. Can you offer any assistance?
Flying freeholds in Canary Wharf are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Canary Wharf you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Canary Wharf may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing solicitor in Canary Wharf for my house move. Is there any facility to check a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?
Anyone can search for presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from inquisitions commenced on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor telephone calls for training reasons.