I'm in the process of swapping over from my domestic loan to a BTL Britannia mortgage. The bank has said that I must appoint a lawyer for this. I got in contact with my former Greenwich conveyancing practitioner who who completed the conveyancing when I originally bought the premises. The costs illustration e-mailed to me of £450 plus VAT is surprising as I am not require purchase conveyancing - it’s just a bog-standard refinance.
The estimate fees appear a little high. If you you were to look around you could get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by as much as £125. That being said, assuming were happy with the conveyancing the firm provided you mightcome to regret choosing an an untested solicitor. Don't forget to be sure the firm can act for Britannia. You can utilise our search tool to select a Greenwich conveyancing firm on the Britannia approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Greenwich.
I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Greenwich. Now, I need my documents however the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Greenwich of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Greenwich differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Greenwich contact us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Greenwich usually buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Greenwich or who has acted in the same development.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Greenwich I like with open areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Greenwich suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.
Should I be wary by third parties that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Greenwich conveyancing practice?
As with many service providers, often input from relatives can be most helpful. But there are many people with a vested interest in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all suggest lawyers to choose. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there is an underlying commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to select your own conveyancer. However, bear in mind that most mortgage providers have an approved list of lawyers you have to use for the lender aspect of your house move.
I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for sale conveyancing in Greenwich. I happened to chance upon a site which seems to have the perfect answer If there is a chance to get all formalities done via phone that would be preferable. Should I be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?