I am hoping to receive a mortgage offer from Santander. I would like to use a Licensed Conveyancer in Exeter. Does the Santander Conveyancing panel include conveyancers regulated by the CLC?
The Santander approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
Me and my partner are soon to exchange on the purchase of a house in Exeter but as a result of damage from a small fire at the property I have managed to agree recompense from the current proprietors in the sum of three thousand pounds in the form of a reduction in the price. I had intended this to be addressed as part of amending the contract but Santander are not allowing this. Should they have been notified?
Your conveyancing practitioner being on the Santander conveyancing panel is required to advise Santander of any amendments to the sale price. If you were to refuse your property lawyer to report the reduction to Santander then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Santander and you would have to appoint a new conveyancer for your conveyancing in Exeter.
At what point will exchange of contracts occur in sale conveyancing in Exeter and do I need to be at the solicitors office?
If you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Exeter you are welcome to come in to sign contracts. That being said, the firms we work with offer a nationwide conveyancing service and give as equally diligent and professional a job for you when communicating with you electronically. The signing of the contract is not the critical part. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the firm to officially exchange at the appropriate time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Exeter)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.
How does conveyancing in Exeter differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Exeter contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because house builders in Exeter tend to acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Exeter or who has acted in the same development.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a property in Exeter prior to instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor has said that some banks will refuse to grant a loan on a flying freehold property.
It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different instructions for example to Halifax. If you e-mail us we can investigate further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Exeter. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Exeter to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
Should one remove a deceased person's details from the title register for a property in Exeter?
Where a Exeter property is jointly owned and one of the proprietors dies, the name will not immediately be removed from the Land Registry title. It is not necessary to remove their name as when it comes to a sale you would simply be required to supply proof as to the reason the joint proprietor is not included in the contract, such as a grant of probate.
With a view to making the sale conveyancing smoother in the future you can apply to have the deceased person erased from the title entries by applying to the land registry with evidence of the death. There is no charge from the Registry for this service.