Is the fact that my conveyancer in Gosport is not listed on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of his conveyancing?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Gosport conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
My grandmother passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Gosport. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Virgin Money, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?
Where you plan to refinance then Virgin Money will require that you use a conveyancer on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Virgin Money conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Virgin Money mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
I am assisting my aunt sell her property in Gosport. Does the solicitor order an energy assessment or should I organise this?
Following the demise of Home Packs, energy performance certificates was left as a mandatory component of selling a house. An energy assessment should be to hand prior to the property being marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms normally arrange. Where you are instructing a Gosport conveyancing practitioner they may help arrange energy assessments given their contacts with reputable local energy assessors
I can not work out if my lender requires a lease extension. I have called into my local Gosport bank branch on numerous occasions and was told it does not affect the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Gosport conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they refuse to lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
As long as the lawyer is on the mortgage company panel, they must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Gosport. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A couple of days later, the lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Principality 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 Principality 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.
Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal impending roadworks that could impact a commercial estate in Gosport?
Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Gosport will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers expend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Gosport. The report sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Gosport.
For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Gosport it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately may result in delays to Gosport commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in Gosport.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Gosport?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Gosport. 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…’
What does commercial conveyancing in Gosport cover?
Gosport conveyancing for business premises incorporates a broad range of services, provided by qualified solicitors, relating to business premises. By way of example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more usually, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of leases.