My partner and I are at the point of looking at apartments in Godstone and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a mortgage with Leeds Building Society.
It would be advisable to commence your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the estate agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.
About to purchase flat in Godstone. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Godstone conveyancer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.
Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Godstone solicitor - who is on the TSB conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
TSB will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually TSB will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Godstone postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with TSB, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Godstone.
We are buying a house and the solicitor has raised the issue of Chancel Repair to which the property may be liable as it falls into the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this strictly warranted for conveyancing in Godstone
Unless a previous purchase of the premises took place post 12 October 2013 you could assume that solicitors delivering conveyancing in Godstone to continue to advocate a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
I own a terraced Georgian house in Godstone. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the matching 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Godstone and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
I am purchasing my first flat in Godstone with the aid of help to buy. The builders would not budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about this extras as it could affect my mortgage with the bank. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
I decided to have a survey completed on a property in Godstone before appointing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. My surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will refuse to give a mortgage on such a premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Godstone. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
I’m about to sell my garden apartment in Godstone. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have recently received a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?
It best that you discharge the maintenance contribution as normal because all ground rent and service payments should be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.
I am the registered owner of a second floor flat in Godstone. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for the purchase of the freehold?
in cases where there is a missing freeholder or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to determine the sum to be paid.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Godstone property is 223 Brighton Road in September 2013. The premium payable for the acquisition freehold of the properties should be £10,934 (Ten thousand,nine hundred and thirty four pounds) This case was in relation to 3 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 75 years.