Do the Building Society Association intend to launch a searchable register to to identify law firms on the Loughborough BS conveyancing panel for instance in Crowborough?
We would not expect to be advised of any plans on the part of the BSA to develop such a search facility.
We previously instructed solicitors located in Crowborough on the Yorkshire BS solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a separate charge for handling the Yorkshire BS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Yorkshire BS?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your lawyer is entitled to levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Yorkshire BS but by your Crowborough property lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Yorkshire BS panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.
How can we tell if a Crowborough conveyancing solicitor on the Skipton panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Crowborough getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always suggest that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your transaction.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Crowborough conveyancing practitioner having made sure that they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore 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 solicitor 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 Crowborough postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Aldermore, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Crowborough.
I have a renovated Victorian house in Crowborough. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Aldermore. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Crowborough and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.
I am purchasing my first flat in Crowborough with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent advised me not disclose to my conveyancer about the deal as it may put at risk my mortgage with Barclays . Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing practitioner in Crowborough for my purchase. Can I check a firm’s record with the legal regulator?
Members of the public may review documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from investigations started on or after Jan 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor telephone calls for training purposes.
Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Crowborough from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?
- Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Crowborough can be avoided if you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives. If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic rather than unresolved. You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should verify this by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Crowborough leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. Should you dont have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer in advance. A minority of Crowborough leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
Crowborough Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before Purchasing
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The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the tenants benefit from being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is usually employed where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. The answer will be important as a) areas can cause problems in the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where services are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have a dispute with the managing agents you will wish to have full disclosure Best to be warned if fixing the lift or some other significant cost is due in the foreseeable future to be shared by the tenants and will materially impact the level of the maintenance costs or require a one time invoice.