My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Dorset. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Barclays, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
Given you plan to refinance then Barclays will require that you use a conveyancer on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Barclays conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Barclays mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
I am intent on selling our house in Dorset and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers used an online conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Dorset. We have lived in Dorset for 5 years we know of no issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same ailment)
I have recentlybecome aware that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Dorset for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I be sure that my home is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?
The easiest way to see if the premises is in your name, you can carry out 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 Dorset conveyancing specialists.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Dorset I like with a park and station nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Dorset for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage that many years will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.
Last January I purchased a leasehold house in Dorset. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Leasehold Conveyancing in Dorset - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to buying
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You should be aware that where the lease has fewer than eighty years it will impact the value of the property. It is worth checking with your bank that they are content with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have been the owner of the property for 24 months before you are legally able to exercise a lease extension. Its a good idea to find out as much as you can concerning the managing agents as they can either make living at the property much simpler or problematic. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical matters like the tidiness of the common parts. Ask other tenants what they think of them. On a final note, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and precisely what it includes.
What are the specific benefits to selecting a local conveyancer in Dorset
Many purchasers and sellers in Dorset prefer a nearby high street conveyancing practitioner so that they can visit in the event that they have questions, and to sign documents rather than run the risk of depending on the post.
There is a marginal benefit in selecting a property lawyer nearby to a property you are buying, due to the knowledge of the locality and potential local issues - however this is moot. The majority of conveyancers are now via the web and could be practically anywhere.