We were just about to exchange contracts for a ground floor flat in Foots Cray. We encountered a snag. Our loan offer with Nationwide Building Society expires on 22/6/2026 but the vendors are insisting on a completion date of 24/6/2026. Can one extend the loan expiry date?
The person best placed to deal with your concern is your conveyancer who will hopefully calculate if he or she is better off negotiating with the mortgage company, vendor’s representatives, property agents or indeed all parties given the history of your transaction to date.
Is it correct that all Foots Cray CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel?
It is true that some lenders now make use of CQS as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Aldermore. I assume I don't need a Foots Cray solicitor on the Aldermore panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Aldermore mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Aldermore mortgage from the register. Aldermore, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Aldermore has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Aldermore has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I currently have a mortgage with Nottingham for my property in Foots Cray. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nottingham?
Your original mortgage agreement with Nottingham will provide that you need their approval in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nottingham’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let 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 Nottingham directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nottingham conveyancing panel solicitor.
Will my solicitor be raising enquiries concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Foots Cray.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for conveyancers dealing with homes in Foots Cray. Plenty of people will purchase a property in Foots Cray, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.
Conveyancers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that may be undertaken by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which can figure out the risks in Foots Cray. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms supplied to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard question of the seller to determine if the premises has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred which is not revealed by the vendor, then a buyer could bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an inaccurate answer. A buyer’s lawyers should also commission an enviro report. This will indicate whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations will need to be conducted.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Foots Cray?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Foots Cray. 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…’
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Foots Cray is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Foots Cray are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Foots Cray you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Foots Cray may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
I have been recommended by a few property agents in Foots Cray to choose a property lawyer using your seach tool. What’s the financial inducement for Estate Agents to offer your lawyers over another?
We refuse to give any commission for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We found it would be just too difficult a fee because a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.