I am progressing with the sale of my apartment in Goodrich and the EA has just e-mailed to advise that the buyers are switching law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only work with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a leading mortgage company only engage with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Goodrich ?
Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the last few years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for many years.
Mortgage companies attribute this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.
Finally the sale completed on my house in Goodrich last June yet the purchaser is telephoning every few hours complaining that her conveyancer needs to hear from myconveyancer. What are the post completion sale formalities now that I have sold?
Following your disposal your solicitor is committed to send the transfer documentation and all additional paperwork to the purchaser's solicitors. Where relevant, your lawyer must also evidence that the mortgage has been discharged to the purchasers solicitors. There are no post completion procedures peculiar conveyancing in Goodrich.
We had selected conveyancers located in Goodrich on the Santander solicitor approved list. They are now charging me an additional sum for the legal aspects of the Santander mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Santander?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancer is entitled to levy a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Santander but by your Goodrich conveyancer. Numerous firms on the Santander panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Goodrich off the council. I have a mortgage offer with TSB. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with TSB, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the TSB conveyancing panel.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Goodrich. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an advanced payment of £175. A few days later, the conveyancer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Leeds Building Society 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 Leeds Building Society 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.
I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Goodrich I like with open areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Goodrich suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be an issue. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign 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 lawyer regarding this matter.
I've found a house that appears to be perfect, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Goodrich. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Goodrich ?
Most houses in Goodrich are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Goodrich so you should seriously consider looking for a Goodrich conveyancing practitioner and check that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor should report to you on the legal implications.
Goodrich Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying
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What is the name of the managing agents? You will want to find out as much as you can about the company managing the block as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to daily issues like the tidiness of the common parts. Enquire of other people if they are happy with them. Finally, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and specifically what you get for your money. Be sure to investigate if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. By way of example some leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Goodrich. If you like the flatin Goodrich but your dog can’t make the move with you then you will be faced difficult compromise.
How does one remove a deceased person's name from the title register for a property in Goodrich?
If a Goodrich property is jointly owned and one of the owners dies, the name will not automatically be removed from the title deeds. You are not required to amend the title as when it comes to a sale you would simply be required to supply proof why the joint owner is missing from the transfer, such as the probate documents.
With the aim of making the sale conveyancing smoother in the future you may apply to have the deceased name erased from the title register by submitting an application to HMLR with proof of the death. There is no fee from the Registry for this service.