The Cranleigh conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my purchase in Cranleigh have suddenly shut down. I chose them because I had to have a firm on the Skipton conveyancing panel and my family Cranleigh lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take one hundred and fifty pounds for searches. What should be my next steps?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Skipton conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors should be in a position to help.
We are aiming to move house in December. Should my conveyancing solicitor call the removal company on the day of completion. On a separate note, can you suggest a removal company in Cranleigh. Conveyancing solicitor was organised before I stumbled across this website.
On the day of completion you will need to collect the house keys from the estate agent but this should only occur when the vendors solicitors inform the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be released. After that you will need to tell the removal men that you are ready to move in. We do not suggest a particular removal company but can help you choose a residential property solicitor in Cranleigh or a legal practice that specialises in conveyancing in Cranleigh.
We previously appointed solicitors located in Cranleigh on the RBS solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a supplemental sum for dealing with the RBS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by RBS?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your lawyer is entitled to levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by RBS but by your Cranleigh solicitor. Numerous firms on the RBS panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of practices incorporate it on their overall fee.
Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Cranleigh solicitor - who is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Lloyds will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Lloyds will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Cranleigh postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Cranleigh.
Various online forums that I have visited warn that are the number one cause of stalling in Cranleigh house deals. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the top 10 causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to feature in any slowing down conveyancing in Cranleigh.
I am buying a new build flat in Cranleigh. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Cranleigh
-
Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Please supply a car parking plan. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants.
How straightforward is it to use your search facility to get a quote from a conveyancing lawyer in Cranleigh on the panel for my lender?
First select a lender such as Nationwide Building Society, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society or Nottingham Building Society then choose your location e.g. Cranleigh. Conveyancing firms in Cranleigh and beyond will then be shown.
We are midway through purchasing a property in Cranleigh. Conveyancing solicitor has told us the title is "Leasehold". Will this likely adversely affect the marketability of the house?
Cranleigh conveyancing does not usually involve leasehold houses. The main factor here is the remaining lease term and the ground rent. If there are hundred of years years remaining with a nominal rent, it's almost the same as freehold, so it shouldn't impact the value significantly.
On the flip side, if it's, say, fifty five years it is bound to have a material effect on the saleability, and most likely wouldn't be mortgageable. The length of lease and ground rent will be specified in the lease which should be made available to your conveyancer.