I require conveyancing for a flat in a fairly new development (seven years built) in Hanworth. 95% of the appartments are already disposed of. Is it strictly necessary to order neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in Hanworth?
You would be putting yourself at risk in not carrying out Hanworth conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying without a mortgage there is no legal requirement to have them, but we would strongly advise in the strongest possible terms that your lawyer conducts them. If timings and driving down costs are top of your concerns you should discuss with your solicitor about the viability of search insurance
In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Hanworth? Is this really necessary?
Hanworth conveyancing solicitors and indeed property practitioners throughout the UK have a duty under Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules to verify the ID of any client in order to ensure that clients are who they say they are.
Conveyancing clients will need to disclose two forms of certified identification; proof of identity (usually a Passport or Driving Licence) and proof of address (typically a Utility Bill less than 3 months old).
Proof of source of funds is also necessary in accordance with the money laundering statutes as lawyers are duty bound to investigate that the money you are using to purchase a property (whether it be the deposit for exchange or the full purchase amount where you are a cash purchaser) has come from an acceptable source (such as employment savings) as opposed to the fruits of illegitimate activity.
I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Hanworth. I now require my file but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should contact 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 Hanworth of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am purchasing my first flat in Hanworth with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about this side-deal as it will impact my mortgage with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.
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.
In my capacity as executor for the estate of my uncle I am selling a house in Swansea but I am based in Hanworth. My conveyancer (approximately 200 miles awayhas requested that I execute a statutory declaration ahead of the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Hanworth who can witness this legal document for me?
strictly speaking you should not need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are based in Hanworth
I am a negotiator for a busy estate agent office in Hanworth where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales put at risk as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received contradictory information from local Hanworth conveyancing firms. Could you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.
An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.
Following months of dialogue we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Hanworth. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
Where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to arrive at the amount due.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Hanworth premises is 147 Redford Close in June 2012. The Tribunal determined the lease extension premium to be at £4,200 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 82.93 years.