AssumingI was to acquire a straightforward housein Ditchling mortgage fee and dispense with a survey and no conveyancing searches how much could I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Ditchling?
The sole reduction in fees you would make on is the Ditchling conveyancing searches. A solicitor still got to do everything else - money laundering, communicating with the vendors lawyer, SDLT return, register the property etc. You might save a bit for them not needing to register a mortgage but it will not be significant.
We are buying a newbuild apartment in Ditchling with a mortgage from TSB.We would like to retain our Ditchling conveyancing solicitor but TSB advised that his firm is not on their "panel". It seems we are left with no choice but to instruct a TSB panel solicitor or keep our high street solicitor and fork out for a TSB panel lawyer to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers must be on the TSB solicitor panel. Until recently, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for TSB
This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as a 1st time buyer of a garden flat in Ditchling. Do I collect the keys to the premises on completion from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Ditchling?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will transfer the purchase money to the seller's solicitors, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be invited to receive the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.
After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Ditchling. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £200. A couple of days later, the property lawyer contacted me to say that they were not on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Leeds Building Society panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
Our offer on a property in Ditchling has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have put an offer on a flat, however it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other properties in the pipeline. I have chosen a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Ditchling. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with Nottingham going?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Ditchling conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must ensure that your conveyancer is on the Nottingham approved list. As to the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. During a rising market some home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Nottingham and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their property lawyer to press on with the conveyancing in Ditchling.
How does conveyancing in Ditchling differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Ditchling contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is completed. This is because new home sellers in Ditchling 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Ditchling or who has acted in the same development.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Ditchling is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Ditchling are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Ditchling you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Ditchling may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
How easy is it to change a solicitor as I need to find a Ditchling based one who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel. Is it practical to instruct different lawyers?
In the event that you have not formally appointed a conveyancer to start work and at this stage simply received an estimate as to costs, you're perfectly free to choose a different solicitor to carry out your work for you. The best way is to get recommendations from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor or conveyancer in Ditchling that you're thinking of instructing.