In the event thatI was to buy a straightforward housein Colindale mortgage fee and have no survey and no local authority searches how much should I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Colindale?
Any savings you would make will be limited to the costs for searches. Your solicitor is obliged to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, communicating with your sellers solicitor, SDLT submission, register the ownership etc. A slight saving might be made by not having to register a charge but it won't be a lot.
We're in Colindale, First time buyers buying with a mortgage (lender is Leeds Building Society , and our solicitor is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as HSBC, do Colindale property lawyers have to pay an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any lender fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
We were going to get a DIP from RBS this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do RBS recommend any Colindale solicitors on the RBS conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Colindale solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the RBS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and RBS through the process.
Bank of Ireland have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a flat in Colindale has been agreed to, what are the next steps?
The property agent will need to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the conveyancing practitioners are on the bank’s approved list). Contact Bank of Ireland or your financial adviser and finish off any outstanding paperwork. Bank of Ireland will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or owners to schedule a time for the valuation to happen. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average ten days to get a mortgage offer. Bank of Ireland will send the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Colindale.
I purchased my flat on 2 August and my personal details are still not on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Colindale advises it would be recorded in a couple of weeks. Are properties in Colindale particularly slow to register?
As far as conveyancing in Colindale is concerned, registration is no faster or slower than the rest of the country. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can differ subject to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry have to notify any other persons or bodies. Currently approximately three quarters of such applications are completed within 12 days but occasionally there can be extensive hold-ups. Registration is effected after the new owner is living at the premises therefore an expedited registration is not typically top priority but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your lawyers could communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.
Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Colindale ahead of instructing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor advised that some lenders may refuse to issue a loan on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Halifax. If you call us we can check with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Colindale. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
Am I best advised to use a Colindale conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am buying? I have an old university friend who can deal with the conveyancing however they are based 300kilometers away.
The primary upside of using a high street Colindale conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to execute documents, deliver your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Colindale know how is a benefit. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and in the main were happy that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Colindale conveyancing lawyer just because they are local.