My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Harpenden. I I am struggling to find out whether they are accepted on the Alliance & Leicester approved list of lawyers. Can you assist?
The first thing you should do is call the solicitor and enquire if they can act for the lender. Otherwise please get in touch with Alliance & Leicester who may be able to assist.
I am assisting my mother sell her flat in Harpenden. Will the conveyancer commission an energy assessment or should I organise this?
After the demise of Home Packs, energy performance certificates remained a compulsory part of selling a property. An energy assessment needs to be commissioned prior to the property being marketed. This is not something that law firms normally arrange. If you are instructing a Harpenden conveyancing lawyer they might be willing to arrange energy assessments given their contacts with reputable local accredited person
Can I be sure that the Harpenden conveyancing solicitor on the Barclays panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Harpenden obtaining recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advise that you speak with the lawyer handling your conveyancing.
Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Harpenden solicitor - who is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Lloyds will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Lloyds 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Harpenden surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
I have justfound out that Arc property Solicitors have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Harpenden for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I check that my home is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?
The easiest method to see if the premises is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Harpenden conveyancing specialists.
What makes your site different to other online quote calculators when it comes to conveyancing in Harpenden?
At this site get a conveyancing quote from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that appreciates the issues for your conveyancing in Harpenden. As opposed to estate agents and many comparison sites we are not in the business of charging firms a commission if you select them for your home move in Harpenden
As co-executor for the estate of my uncle I am selling a residence in Swansea but reside in Harpenden. My lawyer (approximately 200 miles awayrequires that I sign a statutory declaration before completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in Harpenden to witness and place their company stamp on the document?
Technically speaking you should not be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or qualified solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are based in Harpenden
Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Harpenden from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?
- Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Harpenden can be avoided if you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ solicitors. Some Harpenden leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Harpenden leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such works. Should you dont have the consents in place do not contact the landlord without contacting your lawyer in the first instance. You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable verify this by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is under 75 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible 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. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or settle 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 are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over as opposed to ongoing.
Harpenden Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask before buying
-
It would be sensible to find out as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day issues like the tidiness of the communal areas. You should not be shy to ask other tenants what they think of their management. Finally, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and specifically how they are spending that money. How much is the service charge and ground rent on the apartment? Generally speaking the outlay for major works are not included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Harpenden obliged leasehold owners to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific intention of establishing a fund for major works.