My fiance and I are looking to acquire a home in Congleton and are in fact using a Congleton conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Godiva Mortgages Ltd have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Congleton lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Congleton solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
We are acquiring our first home. The lawyer has e-mailedto see if we wish to take out extra conveyancing searches. Unfortunately we are clueless as to what's appropriate for conveyancing in Congleton
The scope of Congleton conveyancing searches depends primarily on the property, the location, the possibility of any of these risks, your familiarity of the region and risks, your general attitude to risk. What is important is that you adequately comprehend what information each search could provide. You may then make a decision if you personally think you need that information. Where you are unsure, ask your property lawyer to explain.
I am helping my aunt sell her flat in Congleton. Will the conveyancing solicitor order an EPC or do I organise this?
Following the abolition of Home Packs, energy assessments was retained a required component of selling a house. An energy performance certificate needs to be commissioned prior to the property being put on the market. It is not a task that conveyancers ordinarily organise. Where you are instructing a Congleton conveyancing solicitor they may be willing to arrange energy assessments given their relationships with reputable local providers
I'm the only beneficiary of my late grandmother’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Congleton. The Congleton property was put into my name in January. I plan to dispose of the house. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', which means that my property ownership may be considered the same way as if I'd bought the house in January. Is the property unsalable for six months?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be impacted by that. How practical a view banks take of it, depend on the mortgage company as this clause primarily exists to identify subsales or the quick reselling of properties.
When it comes to lenders such as Lloyds, do Congleton conveyancers face an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any bank fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
A friend suggested that if I am purchasing in Congleton I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Congleton conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Congleton around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Congleton Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Congleton.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Congleton I like with open areas and station nearby, however it only has 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Congleton for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?
If you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.
Looking forward to exchange soon on a basement flat in Congleton. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they will have a report out to me next week. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?
The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Congleton should include some of the following:
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You should be informed what constitutes a Nuisance as far as the lease is concerned The landlord’s rights to access the property. You should be made aware that your landlord has rights of access as well as be informed how much notice must be provided. Does the lease require carpeting throughout thus preventing wood flooring? An explanation concerning the obligations as set out in the lease to pay service charges - in respect of the block, and the more general rights a leaseholder enjoys Repair and maintenance of the premises
Congleton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before buying
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What is the service charge and ground rent on the flat? Is anyone aware of any major works on the horizon that will add a premium to the maintenance costs? Its a good idea to discover as much as you can about the company managing the block as they will either make your life much simpler or problematic. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to every day matters like the upkeep of the common parts. Ask other people if they are happy with their management. Finally, be sure you know the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and specifically what it includes.