Me and my fiance are buying a 3 bedroom apartment in Dukinfield with a mortgage. We like our Dukinfield solicitor, but the lender advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel solicitors or keep our Dukinfield lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; are we not able to demand that the lender use our Dukinfield conveyancer ?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose 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 Dukinfield conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We are selling our apartment in Dukinfield. Does the conveyancing practitioner need to be on the Santander conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Santander conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
I currently have a mortgage with Nationwide for my property in Dukinfield. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nationwide?
Nationwide must be informed of your intention in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nationwide directly. You need not do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel lawyer.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Dukinfield. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases 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, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
I've digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Dukinfield solicitor - who is on the Santander conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancing practitioner will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Dukinfield postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Santander, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Dukinfield.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property can not be found. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Dukinfield 5 years ago have long since closed. What are my next steps?
Gone are the days when you need to hold title official documentation to establish that you are the owner of your registered land or premises, as the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.
My husband and I are one month into a residential purchase having been recommend to conveyancers by the high street agent to do our conveyancing in Dukinfield. I am not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new lawyers?
A conveyancer would need to be very poor to suggest changing them. Has your loan offer been issued? If so you need to make them aware of the new contact details and have the offer are re-issued. The solicitor ideally should be on the banks panel to avoid added charges and complications. That should be your starting point. Our find a solicitor tool can help you find a bank approved solicitor for your home move in Dukinfield
Back In 2009, I bought a leasehold flat in Dukinfield. Conveyancing and Halifax mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Dukinfield who acted for me is not around. What should I do?
First contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Dukinfield conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.
I am the registered owner of a basement flat in Dukinfield, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Dukinfield with an extended lease are worth £206,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2092
With just 66 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £12,400 and £14,200 as well as legals.
The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.