As someone not used to conveyancing in Crawley what is the number one tip you can impart concerning the legal transfer of property in Crawley
You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Crawley or throughout England and Wales is often a confrontational experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists an abundance of opportunity for friction between you and others involved in the house moving process. E.g., the seller, property agent and even potentially your mortgage company. Appointing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Crawley should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY person in the legal process whose responsibility is to protect your best interests and to protect you.
Every so often a potential adversary will attempt to convince you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For instance, the estate agent may claim to be helping by suggesting your lawyer is dragging his heels. Or your mortgage broker may advise you to do something that is contrary to your lawyers recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the conveyancing process.
I am purchasing a flat and need a conveyancing solicitor in Crawley who is on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society solicitor. Can you recommend a local solicitor?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Norwich and Peterborough Building Society in certain locations such as Crawley. We dont recommend any particular firm.
We had appointed conveyancers with offices in Crawley on the Kent Reliance solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate sum for dealing with the Kent Reliance mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Kent Reliance?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer may levy a fee for this. This charge is not set by Kent Reliance but by your Crawley solicitor. Some firms on the Kent Reliance panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some practices include it on their overall fee.
It is not clear whether my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Crawley bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told it wasn't an issue and they would lend. My Crawley conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called to say that they will not lend based on their specific requirements. Who do I believe?
Provided that the lawyer is on the bank approved list, they must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
Leeds Building Society have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a house in Crawley has been accepted, what happens next?
The property agent will want to be informed of your solicitor's details (be sure the solicitors are on the lender’s approved list). Contact Leeds Building Society or the financial adviser and finalise any outstanding forms. Leeds Building Society will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to schedule a time for the valuation to happen. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a fortnight to receive the mortgage offer. Leeds Building Society will issue 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 Crawley.
How does conveyancing in Crawley differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Crawley approach us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because new home sellers in Crawley usually acquire the real estate, 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Crawley or who has acted in the same development.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Crawley is the location of the property. Can you offer any opinion?
Flying freeholds in Crawley are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Crawley you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Crawley may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.
Are there any apps to help search for a Crawley solicitor on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel? I have a car and am happy to travel upto 20kilometers to meet the lawyer.
You can use the facility on this website. Please choose the bank and your location and you will see a number of Crawley conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have listed some Crawley conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can ring them to verify if they are on the Nationwide Building Society approved list