It is a dozen years since I purchased my home in East Croydon. Conveyancing lawyers have now been appointed on the sale but I am unable to find my title deeds. Is this a problem?
Don’t worry too much. First the deeds may be kept by your lender or they may still be with the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in East Croydon involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
My wife and I have recently appointed a conveyancing solicitor in East Croydon. I need to find out if they are on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel. Can you or the lender confirm if they are on the panel?
You should e-mail the conveyancer and ask them if they can act for the lender. Alternatively please get in touch with Norwich and Peterborough Building Society who may be able to help.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a two bedroom flat in East Croydon. Do I pick up the keys to the premises on completion from my solicitor? If so, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in East Croydon?
On the day of completion you do not need to go to the conveyancers office in East Croydon. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the completion advance to the seller's conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be invited to receive the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.
I currently have a mortgage with HSBC for my property in East Croydon. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform HSBC?
HSBC must be informed of your intention before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of HSBC’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent 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 HSBC directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a HSBC conveyancing panel lawyer.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in East Croydon. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Almost all lenders 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 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 with full details of your complaint.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in East Croydon?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in East Croydon. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial property in East Croydon and how can you help?
The particular law that you refer to affords security of tenure to commercial tenants, granting the legal entitlement to make a request to court for a renewal tenancy and continue in occupation at the end of an expired lease. There are limited grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are involved. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act to your advantage and handle your commercial conveyancing in East Croydon
Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 68 years remaining on my lease in East Croydon. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?
If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the landlord. On the whole a specialist may be helpful to try and locate and prepare an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing East Croydon.
I am the registered owner of a a ground floor purpose built flat in East Croydon. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum payable for a lease extension?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a East Croydon conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a East Croydon flat is 29 Woodstock Road in April 2014. the Tribunal determined that the premiums to be paid into court in respect of the purchase of the freehold registered at HMLR under Title N0.SY3997 should be £7,217. This case related to 4 flats. The unexpired lease term was 98 years.