Will our solicitor be raising enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Darlington.
Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers dealing with homes in Darlington. There are those who acquire a property in Darlington, fully expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.
Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a number of checks that can be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Darlington. The standard completed inquiry forms sent to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a usual question of the owner to discover whether the property has ever been flooded. In the event that flooding has previously occurred which is not disclosed by the owner, then a buyer may commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an incorrect response. The purchaser’s lawyers should also carry out an environmental report. This will disclose if there is any known flood risk. If so, additional investigations should be made.
I have justdiscovered that Wolstenholmes have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Darlington for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I establish that my home is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?
The quickest way to see if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Darlington conveyancing specialists.
The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Darlington. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.
Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Darlington
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The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme.
Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Darlington before retaining conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend not grant a loan on this type of house.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions for example to Nationwide. If you contact us we can look into this further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Darlington. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Darlington to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Darlington. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Darlington ?
The majority of houses in Darlington are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Darlington so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Darlington conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the landlord’spermission to conduct alterations. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.
I inherited a ground floor flat in Darlington, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar flats in Darlington with a long lease are worth £185,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2086
With only 60 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £20,000 and £23,000 plus legals.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.
I have noted on a number of consumer advice websites that when choosing a conveyancing solicitors they must be approved by your bank. It happens to be my first house move but I have an offer in principle from Birmingham Midhshires and I already have a family conveyancing solicitor in Darlington in place. Will Santander need an approved lawyer to be used? Does a list of approved firms even exist so I can choose a conveyancing lawyer in Darlington?
You should instruct a solicitor that is on the Santander panel. The first thing to do is ring your preferred Darlington conveyancing solicitor to check if they are on the Santander panel. If they are not on the panel you have a couple of options open to you here:
- Complete the purchase with your existing Darlington conveyancer but Santander will undoubtedly use a conveyancing practitioner on their approved list. This will result in additional charges and likely delay.
- Appoint a fresh property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the Santander conveyancing panel.
- Convince your property lawyer to do everything within their powers to get listed on the Santander panel of solicitors.