My partner and I are planning to purchase a home in Custom House and are in fact using a Custom House conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Yorkshire Building Society have this morning contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Custom House conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Custom House lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
Can your site be used to recommend a Conveyancing solicitor in Custom House even if I’m not buying or disposing of a house, for example if I wish to acquire an office in Custom House with a loan from Birmingham Midshires?
Our comparison service is predominantly there to select domestic conveyancing solicitors in Custom House but we have listed towards the bottom of this page a few Custom House commercial conveyancing firms. You should enquire with the solicitors directly to establish if they are also authorised to represent Birmingham Midshires
We have agreed to purchase a house in Custom House. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Lloyds have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Lloyds your lawyer must check the formal requirements outlined in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Lloyds. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Lloyds where a lease fails to meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Custom House.
We were going to get a AIP from Clydesdale this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Clydesdale recommend any Custom House solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Custom House solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Clydesdale through the process.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Custom House off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Kent Reliance. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Kent Reliance, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel.
I used Action Conveyancing a few years past for my conveyancing in Custom House. I now require my file however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Custom House of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
My husband and I are first time buyers - agreed a price, but the property agent told us that the vendor will only proceed if we appoint their recommended conveyancers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a high street conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Custom House
It is highly unlikely the vendors are behind this. Should the seller want ‘a quick sale', turning down a serious buyer is counter productive. Contact the owners directly and explain that (a)you are serious buyers (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you are chain free (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you are going to use your preferred Custom House conveyancing firm - rather thanthe ones that will earn the estate agent a referral fee or meet his conveyancing figures set by HQ.
Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Custom House. Before diving in I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.
Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Custom House - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.
I am the proprietor of a two-bedroom flat in Custom House. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the premium due for the purchase of the freehold?
Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Custom House conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Custom House property is 46 Credon Road in January 2014. On 11 September 2013 Deputy District Judge Price sitting at the Bow County Court made a vesting order that the freeholder surrender his lease and be granted a new lease of the Premises on such terms as may be determined by the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).The appropriate sum as concluded by the Tribunal was £7225 This case related to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 69.77 years.