Me and my fiance are purchasing a 3 bedroom flat in Eastbourne with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Eastbourne solicitor, however the bank says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel firms or retain our Eastbourne conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We consider that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’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 Eastbourne conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Me and my partner are acquiring our first house. Our conveyancer has calledto check if we wish to order supplemental conveyancing searches. As novices we have no idea as to what's necessary for conveyancing in Eastbourne
The type of Eastbourne conveyancing searches should be dictated primarily on the premises, the location, the probability of any of these risks, your knowledge of the locality and risks, your general appetite to risk. What is important is that you adequately comprehend what information the searches could give you. You may then make a decision if you personally think you need that information. Should you be uncertain, ask your conveyancing practitioner to offer guidance.
The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Eastbourne. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Eastbourne. My mortgage broker suggested a property lawyer. I paid an on account payment of £150. Soon after, the lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the TSB 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 TSB 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.
My offer on a property in Eastbourne has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have put an offer on a property, however it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. I have selected a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Eastbourne. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with Nationwide started?
It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Eastbourne conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must check that your lawyer is on the Nationwide approved list. As to the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot market many home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Nationwide and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their property lawyer to press on with the conveyancing in Eastbourne.
I have a terraced Edwardian house in Eastbourne. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Chelsea Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Eastbourne and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.
We're first time buyers - agreed a price, but the agent advised that the seller will only proceed if we use the agent's chosen solicitors as they want an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a family conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in Eastbourne
It is improbable the owners are behind this. If they want ‘a quick sale', turning down a motivated purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Contact the owners directly and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you do not need to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you will continue to appoint your own,trusted Eastbourne conveyancing firm - not the ones that will provide their negotiator at the agency a referral fee or meet his conveyancing thresholds demanded by senior management.
I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of flats in Eastbourne which have in the region of fifty years unexpired on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?
A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease shortens the marketability of the lease deteriorates and it becomes more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is often a good idea to increase the term of the lease. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage companies may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We advise that you seek professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field.
I bought a garden flat in Eastbourne, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable flats in Eastbourne with over 90 years remaining are worth £186,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 2077
With just 53 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £27,600 and £31,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.