The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Earley. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make 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 Care Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved 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 with full details of your complaint.
Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Earley solicitor - who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Virgin Money will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Virgin Money 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 lawyer 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 Earley postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Virgin Money, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Earley.
RBS have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a house in Earley has been accepted, what are the next steps?
The estate agent will need to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the property lawyers are on the bank’s approved list). Telephone RBS or your broker and complete any appropriate forms. RBS will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or seller to book a slot for the valuation to occur. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about a fortnight to receive the mortgage offer. RBS will issue the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Earley.
A relative recommended that if I am purchasing in Earley I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Earley conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Earley around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Earley Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Earley.
I am buying my first flat in Earley with a mortgage from Barclays Direct. The sellers would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not inform my conveyancer about this deal as it will jeopardize my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.
What does commercial conveyancing in Earley cover?
Commercial conveyancing in Earley covers a broad range of services, offered by qualified solicitors, relating to business property. For instance, this type of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial mortgages and the termination of leases.
My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Earley. Conveyancing and Chelsea Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Earley who previously acted has now retired. Any advice?
First make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a Earley conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.
I inherited a 2 bed flat in Earley, conveyancing was carried out in 2011. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Earley with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2076
With 51 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £30,400 and £35,200 plus legals.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.
What are the distinct advantages to instructing a local property lawyer in Earley
Home movers in Earley decide on using a local lawyer so that they can visit in the event that they have concerns, and to collect paperwork rather taking the chance of depending on the Royal Mail.
There is a slight edge when using a solicitor nearby to the house you are hoping to purchase, due to the in-depth knowledge of the region and potential local concerns - but this is debatable. The majority of conveyancers are now through email and could be anywhere in the world.