It is 10 years ago since I bought my property in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I can't track down my deeds. Is this a major issue?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be with the mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who acted in your purchase. Secondly in all probability the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
My aunt passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Santander, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?
Where you intend to re-mortgage then Santander will require that you use a conveyancer on the Santander conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Santander conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Santander mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
We are purchasing a apartment in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we will need to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
I just bought a property at auction in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth. Conveyancing is needed. What is next?
Given that you have now for all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you should find a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you will have a tight deadline in which to complete the purchase. An auction property will have a corresponding auction set of papers. This should include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the conveyancing papers should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation specific to leasehold premises. You should give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Aldermore have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that your lender is Aldermore your lawyer must comply with the formal requirements contained in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Aldermore. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to Aldermore where a lease does not meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Chorleywood and Rickmansworth.
It has been five months following my purchase conveyancing in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £215,000. 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 residence 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.
How does conveyancing in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth come to us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because new home sellers in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth typically buy the site, 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 Chorleywood and Rickmansworth or who has acted in the same development.
Do I need to be concerned that brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a local Chorleywood and Rickmansworth conveyancing company?
As with lots of service providers, often recommendations from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. But there are many players in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all suggest solicitors to use. Sometimes these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there behind the scenes commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the discretion to select your preferred conveyancer. You need to be aware that some lenders operate an approved list of conveyancers you are obliged to use for the mortgage aspect of your house move.