I have given 2 months notice to my current landlord and have to vacate my rented flat in Chapel Allerton by 14/10/2025. Conveyancing on my purchase has just started. Is it possible to complete in six weeks as I wish to avoid having to find short term accommodation?
The normal practice is not to provide notice on a rental unless you have exchanged. If you have not previously done so, notify to your conveyancer and request that they cajole the owners solicitors, try to get a realistic time scale from them that everyone will look to achieve
Should lawyers request money on account for conveyancing in Chapel Allerton?
If you are buying a property in Chapel Allerton your solicitor will request that you place them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. If any deposit is payable against the total price then this should be required shortly in advance of contracts are exchanged. Any further balance that is needed should be transferred shortly before completion.
The Chapel Allerton conveyancing solicitors that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Chapel Allerton have suddenly shut down. They were on acting for me because I needed a lawyer on the Santander conveyancing panel and my previous Chapel Allerton lawyer was not. I paid them £170 in advance. What should be my next steps?
If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Santander conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to help.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Chapel Allerton off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Nationwide. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have 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 Nationwide, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.
I've read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Chapel Allerton solicitor - who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Chapel Allerton surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
Our sealed bid on a house in Chapel Allerton has been agreed to, the owners do nevertheless have a tied purchase. The sellers have placed an offer on somewhere, but it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other properties booked. I have chosen a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Chapel Allerton. What do I do now? When should I get the mortgage application with Yorkshire BS going?
It is usual to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Chapel Allerton conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you should ensure that your solicitor is on the Yorkshire BS approved list. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market the majority of home buyers would apply for the mortgage with Yorkshire BS and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their conveyancer to proceed with searches.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Chapel Allerton?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Chapel Allerton. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
How does conveyancing in Chapel Allerton differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Chapel Allerton come to us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is built. This is because house builders in Chapel Allerton tend to purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Chapel Allerton or who has acted in the same development.