It is a dozen years since I acquired my property in Cottenham. Conveyancing solicitors have just been appointed on the sale but I can't find the title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be with your mortgage company or they may be archived with the solicitor who handled the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Cottenham relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more tricky but is not insurmountable.
My stepmother informed me that in buying a property in Cottenham there may be a number of restrictions prohibiting external changes to the property. Is this right?
There are a number of properties in Cottenham which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Cottenham should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with HSBC. Cottenham conveyancing practitioners have been appointed. How long does it take for HSBC to send the offer to the conveyancing practitioner?
There is no definitive answer here. Have HSBC conducted the survey? Have you advised HSBC as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the HSBC conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Cottenham. My mortgage broker suggested a lawyer. I paid an on account payment of £200. Not long after, the property lawyer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Virgin Money panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
How does conveyancing in Cottenham differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Cottenham approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is ready to move into. This is because builders in Cottenham usually buy the land, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 used to new build conveyancing in Cottenham or who has acted in the same development.
I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Cottenham before instructing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. Our surveyor has said that some banks may refuse to issue a mortgage on a flying freehold house.
It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements for example to Nationwide. If you e-mail us we can check via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Cottenham. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Cottenham especially if they are familiar with such properties in Cottenham.
In my capacity as executor for the estate of my grandfather I am selling a residence in Newport but live in Cottenham. My lawyer (approximately 300 kilometers from meneeds me to sign a stat dec prior to the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Cottenham to witness this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are located in Cottenham
I need to review quotes for conveyancing in Cottenham from three conveyancer and decide on one. Should I get them to hold tight until I I have my bid accepted on a apartment.
You should only request your conveyancer to open a file and submit searches once the sales confirmation has been sent by the selling agent especially as Cottenham conveyancing searches are a couple of hundred pounds.