Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Cardiff. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.
I can not work out if my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Cardiff building society branch on various occasions and was told it does not impact the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Cardiff conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they will not lend in accordance with their specific requirements. Who do I believe?
Provided that the property lawyer is on the lender panel, she or he must follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company 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 bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Cardiff. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their solicitor. I paid an on account payment of £150. Soon after, the lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Clydesdale 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 Clydesdale 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.
It has been 3 months following my purchase conveyancing in Cardiff took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £160,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
About to purchase a new build flat in Cardiff. Conveyancing is a frightening process 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 conveyancing.
Here are examples of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Cardiff
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Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. 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.
Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Cardiff in advance of instructing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor has said that some lenders tend not give a mortgage on a flying freehold home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions from Halifax. If you e-mail us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Cardiff. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Cardiff especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Cardiff.
Should I be wary that third parties that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Cardiff conveyancing firm?
As is the case with lots of professional services, often suggestions from connections can be worth their weight in gold. But there are many players in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all suggest solicitors to instruct. On occasion the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there behind the scenes financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are free to choose your preferred conveyancer. Don't forget that some banks have an approved list of law firms you have to use for the mortgage related work in your conveyancing.
I own a leasehold house in Cardiff. Conveyancing and Santander mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in Cardiff who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?
The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to incur the fees of a Cardiff conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.
I acquired a split level flat in Cardiff, conveyancing having been completed in 2006. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Cardiff with over 90 years remaining are worth £175,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2084
You have 58 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £23,800 and £27,400 plus costs.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.