A relative pointed out to me me that in buying a property in Clapham there may be various restrictions prohibiting external changes to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of anumerous of properties in Clapham which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Clapham should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Nationwide, do Clapham conveyancers incur an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
We previously appointed conveyancers locally in Clapham on the Skipton solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a separate amount for the legal aspects of the Skipton mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Skipton?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your solicitor can levy a fee for this. The charge is not set by Skipton but by your Clapham conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Skipton panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.
I understand that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Do I require this when acquiring a property in Clapham? or I am told that there is an ancient law that could mean that homeowners residing in a parish church boundary will be compelled to contribute towards repairs to the chancel in proximity to the church. Is this applicable for conveyancing in Clapham?
Unless a prior purchase of the house completed after 12 October 2013 you may assume that solicitors conducting conveyancing in Clapham to continue to recommend a chancel search and or chancel repair liability policy.
I used Stirling Law a few years ago for my conveyancing in Clapham. I now require my papers but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Clapham of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £305k and found one near me in Clapham I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, however it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Clapham for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.
In what way does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial property in Clapham and how can your lawyers assist?
The particular law that you refer to gives protection to business lessees, granting the right to make a request to court for a renewal lease and continue in occupation at the end of an expired lease. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are complex. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing solicitors who use the act to your advantage and help with commercial conveyancing in Clapham
The solicitors handling our conveyancing in Clapham has forwarded documents to review that indicate that the property is unregistered with epitome documents. Why is the property not registred at HM Land Regsitry?
Although the vast majorities of properties in Clapham are now registered with HM Land Registry there are still some that are unregistered. Any property in Clapham that has been purchased since the late 1980’s will have been registered at the Land Registry under the compulsory ‘first registration’ scheme. However, if a Clapham property has not changed hands in that time then it’s likely the old fashioned title deeds will be the only evidence of ownership.Plenty of Clapham conveyancing solicitors should be familiar with such matters but in the event that uncertainty reigns the conventional advice nowadays seems to be for the vendor’s solicitor to address the registration formalities first and then sell - this undoubtedly result in a significant delay.