We are purchasing a newly constructed apartment in Farnham and my solicitor is telling me that she has to the mortgage company to reveal incentives from the developer. The Estate Agents are hassling me to exchange and my preference is not to prolong deal. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your property lawyer. A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The UK Finance Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I am assisting my aunt sell her house in Farnham. Does the conveyancing solicitor order the EPC or should I organise this?
Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, EPC’s became a required component of moving property. An energy performance certificate must be to hand in advance of the property being marketed. It is not something that conveyancers normally organise. Where you are using a Farnham conveyancing lawyer they may be able to arrange EPC’s given their contacts with reputable local assessors
I am due to move house in January. Should my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the day of completion. Incidentally, can you recommend a removal company in Farnham. Conveyancing firm was chosen prior to coming across your website.
On the afternoon of completion you can collect the keys from your selling agent but this should only happen once the sellers lawyers advise the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be collected. You should advise the removal men that you are ready to move in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a particular removal company but can help you choose a conveyancing in Farnham or a lawyer with expertise in conveyancing in Farnham.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Farnham. My mortgage broker suggested a solicitor. I paid an advanced payment of £225. A few days later, the property lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Santander 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 Santander 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.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Farnham?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Farnham. 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…’
How does conveyancing in Farnham differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Farnham contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Farnham typically acquire the site, 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 Farnham or who has acted in the same development.
Should I go with a Farnham conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am purchasing? An old friend can conduct the legal work however her office is 200kilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a high street Farnham conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local intelligence which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and in the main were impressed that should trump using an unfamiliar Farnham conveyancing lawyer just because they are Farnham based.
Harry (my fiance) and I may need to rent out our Farnham ground floor flat for a while due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Farnham conveyancing practice in 2004 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?
Your lease governs relations between the landlord and you the flat owner; in particular, it will set out if subletting is not allowed, or permitted but only subject to certain conditions. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. The majority of leases in Farnham do not prevent an absolute prevention of subletting – such a provision would adversely affect the market value the flat. Instead, there is usually simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a copy of the tenancy agreement.
I acquired a split level flat in Farnham, conveyancing having been completed 5 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent flats in Farnham with a long lease are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2080
With just 54 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £32,300 and £37,400 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.