Me and my partner are intending to buy a 1 bedroom flat in Chislehurst with a mortgage. We like our Chislehurst solicitor, but the mortgage company advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or continue with our Chislehurst conveyancer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We regard this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Chislehurst conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Can the conveyancing solicitors identified via your search tool carry out attended exchange conveyancing in Chislehurst?
There are a few conveyancing specialists who can conduct 24hr exchanges. Do e-mail us to receive a fee calculation and details as to dates.
Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of Chislehurst conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Principality conveyancing panel?
Chislehurst conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Principality conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Principality directly.
Should my conveyancer be raising questions concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Chislehurst.
Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors carrying out conveyancing in Chislehurst. Plenty of people will acquire a house in Chislehurst, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.
Conveyancers are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that may be carried out by the buyer or by their solicitors which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Chislehurst. The standard completed inquiry forms supplied to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a standard question of the owner to determine whether the property has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred and is not revealed by the seller, then a purchaser could issue a claim for damages resulting from an inaccurate response. A purchaser’s conveyancers may also conduct an enviro search. This should indicate if there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations should be made.
Last December I purchased a leasehold flat in Chislehurst. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such issues? Can you recommend a Chislehurst conveyancing firm to represent me?
Where there is a missing freeholder or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to arrive at the price payable.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Chislehurst residence is 70 Andace Park Gardens 133-149 Widmore Road in November 2013. Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the lease extension was £10,052 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 72 years.
Me and my husband accepted an offer on a Chislehurst bungalow we inherited six years ago in 2012. I have over 12 years conveyancing experience and, now retired, see no reason not to undertake my own legal work. The purchaser's conveyancer has informed me that their bank will not allow you to do your own conveyancing insisting the funds to be transferred to a solicitor's bank account.
Mortgage requirements to solicitors from all CML members specify that If the vendor is not legally represented the purchaser’s lawyers should check whether the lender needs to be told so that a decision can be made if they are willing to proceed.