We decided to purchase a newly converted apartment in Garstang with a mortgage from Chelsea Building Society.We use our Garstang conveyancing lawyer but Chelsea Building Society advised that her practice is not on their "panel". We have to appoint a Chelsea Building Society panel solicitor or retain our preferred solicitor and pay for a Chelsea Building Society panel lawyer to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The home loan issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that lawyers needs to be on the Chelsea Building Society approved list. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find 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. A further alternative is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Chelsea Building Society
Various online forums that I have come across warn that are the primary cause of delay in Garstang house deals. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the common causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Garstang.
I have recentlyfound out that Stirling Law have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Garstang for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 10 months ago. How can I establish that my home is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?
The easiest way to check if the property is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Garstang conveyancing specialists.
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and found one close by in Garstang I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, however it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Garstang for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?
If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.
As co-executor for the will of my grandmother I am selling a property in Neath but live in Garstang. My solicitor (approximately 300 kilometers from merequires that I execute a statutory declaration before the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Garstang to witness and place their company stamp on the document?
Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are located in Garstang
A conveyancing firm handled my conveyancing in Garstang four years ago and was holding my registration documents but has now closed – What steps do I now take to get hold of them?
Title deeds, as such, no longer exist as most homes in Garstang are recorded digitally at Land Registry. Should you need to show evidence of proprietorship or are selling or refinancing your solicitor will need to obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.
If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned as quickly as possible.