I have a mortgage with Skipton for my property in Chipstead. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Skipton?
You must advise Skipton in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Skipton’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Skipton will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Skipton directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Skipton conveyancing panel firm.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Chipstead. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £175. A couple of days later, the conveyancer contacted me to say that they were not on the Co-operative 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 Co-operative 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.
About to purchase maisonette in Chipstead. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Principality conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Chipstead conveyancing practitioner is on the Principality conveyancing panel.
Me and my brother purchased a renovated Edwardian property in Chipstead. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Accord Mortgages Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Chipstead and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one near me in Chipstead I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Chipstead in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?
If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be problematic. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.
How does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my commercial premises in Chipstead and how can your lawyers assist?
The particular law that you refer to affords a safeguard to business tenants, giving them the right to apply to court for a new lease and continue in occupation at the end of an expired lease. There are certain specified grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are involved. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing firms who use the act to your advantage and handle your commercial conveyancing in Chipstead
My husband and I are first time buyers - agreed a price, but the agent has warned us that the vendor will only go ahead if we appoint the agent's chosen lawyers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a local conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Chipstead
We suspect that the owner is unaware of this ultimatum. Should the vendor want ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated buyer is going to damage their objectives. Contact the sellers directly and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you will continue to appoint your preferred Chipstead conveyancing firm - not the ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a commission or meet his conveyancing thresholds demanded by HQ.
Is planning permission needed to convert a house into multiple flats in Chipstead? This has occurred to a house next door to my house in Chipstead and was ignorant of it happening until it was done.
Planning permission is necessary for splitting a single house in Chipstead into flats but probably not for converting once again to single dwelling-house so, simply put, yes,a it is needed.