It is a dozen years since I bought my house in Crayford. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to track down my title deeds. Is this a major issue?
Don’t worry too much. First the deeds may be kept by the lender or they may be archived with the lawyers who handled the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Crayford relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it is more tricky but is resolvable.
My friend recommended that if I am purchasing in Crayford I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Crayford conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Crayford 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 demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Crayford.
How does conveyancing in Crayford differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Crayford contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Crayford typically buy 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 property lawyers 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 Crayford or who has acted in the same development.
I'm refinancing my current property to a buy to let loan with Lloyds TSB Bank and intend to use the remaining equity as a down payment on another house. The location we are interested in is Crayford. Will your lawyers be able to act for the two mortgage companies and link together the conveyances?
Make use of our search tool on this page to be sure that the lawyers are approved by both banks. Having checked that they are your conveyancer should be able to tie up the two deals but you should talk with you lawyer and make apparent your desired outcome and requirements.
My cousin has recommend that I instruct his lawyers for conveyancing in Crayford. Do I take his advice?
There are no two ways about it the best way to find a conveyancing practitioner is to seek recommendations from friends or relatives who have used the solicitor you're considering.
Developers have put forward a lawyer and I've sought an estimate from them. It's nearly £250 less expensive than my local Crayford conveyancer. What's the catch?
Builders normally have panels of conveyancing practitioners who are quick and who know the seller’s paperwork and conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of developers offer an incentive to use their approved lawyer for this reason, any increased charges can be avoided and a developer won't suggest a conveyancing factory and run the risk of having the transaction stall when they require an exchange inside a month. The argument for not agreeing to use the suggested solicitor is that they may be unwilling to 'push' your interests for fear of upsetting the developer. If you worry that this may be the situation you should remain with your local Crayford conveyancing practitioner.