What is your number one tip for finding a conveyancing solicitor in Harmondsworth
It would be unwise to be tempted by the lowest Harmondsworth conveyancing quote. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of the deal.
We had selected solicitors based in Harmondsworth on the Santander solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a supplemental fee for handling the Santander mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Santander?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancer may charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Santander but by your Harmondsworth conveyancer. Some firms on the Santander panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of practices include it on their overall fee.
Having digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Harmondsworth solicitor - who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Harmondsworth postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Harmondsworth.
My friend advised me that where I am buying in Harmondsworth I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Harmondsworth conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Harmondsworth around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Harmondsworth Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Harmondsworth Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Harmondsworth.
Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Harmondsworth. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Here are examples of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Harmondsworth
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Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and found one close by in Harmondsworth I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Harmondsworth suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.
My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, but the estate agent has warned us that the vendor will only move forward if we instruct their recommended lawyers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a family solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Harmondsworth
We suspect that the owner is unaware of this request. Should the owner want ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine purchaser is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Try to communicate with the owners directly and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with finances arranged © you have nothing to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you intend to appoint your own,trusted Harmondsworth conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will give their estate agent a kickback or meet his conveyancing figures demanded by corporate headquarters.
What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Harmondsworth conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Harmondsworth conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non Harmondsworth conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be helpful:
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What volume of lease extensions has the firm completed in Harmondsworth in the last year? Can they put you in touch with clients in Harmondsworth who can give a testimonial?
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such matters? Can you recommend a Harmondsworth conveyancing firm to represent me?
in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to determine the price payable.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Harmondsworth property is 164 Nestles Avenue in October 2013. The tribunal agreed with the proposed price of £20,158 for the freehold and determined that that sum is the amount to be paid into court This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired lease term was 69 years.