Completed the sale of my flat in Dalston last May yet the purchaser is calling every few hours to say their lawyer is waiting to hear from mylawyer. What should have happened following completion?
Following your disposal your conveyancer is obliged to deliver the transfer documentation and all supplemental paperwork to the purchaser's conveyancer. If applicable, your solicitor must also send confirmation that the home loan has been discharged to the buyers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion procedures specific conveyancing in Dalston.
Can I be sure that the Dalston conveyancing solicitor on the Nationwide panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Dalston getting recommendations is a good 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 handling your transaction.
I have paid off my mortgage with Santander. I assume I don't need a Dalston property lawyer on the Santander panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Santander mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Santander mortgage from the register. Santander, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Santander has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Santander has instructed the Land Registry to do so
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Dalston. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
Me and my brother have a terraced Victorian property in Dalston. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Aldermore. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. Is it worth asking Aldermore to clarify?
You should review 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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Dalston and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.
I am buying my first flat in Dalston with a mortgage from Coventry Building Society. The developers refused to budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent told me not reveal to my conveyancer about the side-deal as it will put at risk my loan with the bank. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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 have recently realised that I have Seventy years left on my lease in Dalston. I now want to extend my lease but my freeholder is missing. What should I do?
If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to track down the lessor. For most situations a specialist would be helpful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Dalston.
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without any joy. Can one apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Dalston conveyancing firm to help?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Dalston conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Dalston residence is 150 Amhurst Road in December 2013. The tribunal concluded that the premium to be paid by the applicant for the enfranchisement of the subject property was £43,500. This case related to 4 flats. The unexpired term was 90 (or thereabouts).
What are my options where I am not happy with the property lawyer who conducted our conveyancing in Dalston?
Occasionally the level of service you receive is not as you expect, and unfortunately occasionally things do go wrong. Nevertheless there is recourse where you were unhappy with your conveyancing in Dalston. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a conveyancing practitioner to their regulator. If things still aren’t sorted out you may consider enlisting the help of the Legal Ombudsman.