I was informed recently by my IFA that my Halkyn property lawyer is not on the lender Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be certain if this is indeed the case?
Your first step should be to call your Halkyn conveyancer. You lawyer should notify you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your mortgage company.
Completed the sale of my flat in Halkyn last April but my buyer keeps Skype messaging daily to moan that his solicitor is waiting to hear from mysolicitor. What are the post completion sale formalities following completion?
Following your sale your solicitor should deliver the transfer deeds and all supplemental paperwork to the purchaser's solicitors. Depending on the transaction, your solicitor should also confirm that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been paid off to the buyers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion formalities peculiar conveyancing in Halkyn.
We're in Halkyn, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Co-operative , and our lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
is it true that all Halkyn conveyancing solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Aldermore conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. The majority of lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We expect to receive a OIP from Skipton this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Skipton recommend any Halkyn solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Halkyn solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Skipton conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Skipton through the process.
At last I have had an offer on a maisonette in Halkyn agreed to, but there is a chain. The owners have offered on a property, but it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other flats in the pipeline. I have selected a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Halkyn. What should be my next step? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with Santander?
It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Halkyn conveyancing search fees, etc). The first course of action is to check that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Santander approved list. Regarding the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market many buyers would apply for a home loan with Santander and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their solicitor to press on with searches.
I'm converting the mortgage on my existing house to a BTL mortgage with Coventry Building Society and intend to use the remaining equity as a deposit on a second house. The area we are looking at is Halkyn. Will your solicitors be able to act for both sets of banks and tie in the two deals?
Do use our search tool on this page to check that the solicitors are on the relevant lender panels. Assuming that they are your lawyer will be able to tie up the two deals but you should have a chat with you lawyer and make clear your desired outcome and needs.
Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Halkyn from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?
- A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Halkyn can be avoided if you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers’ lawyers. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Halkyn state that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord approving such works. Where you dont have the approvals to hand you should not contact the landlord without contacting your solicitor in advance. If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unresolved. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic rather than unsettled. You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.
I invested in buying a garden flat in Halkyn, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2003. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable flats in Halkyn with an extended lease are worth £176,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2105
You have 80 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.