My wife and I are purchasing a 3 bedroom flat in Harrow Weald with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Harrow Weald lawyer, however the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or keep our Harrow Weald lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Harrow Weald conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
My husband and I swapping mortgage lender for our apartment in Harrow Weald with Barclays. We have a son approaching twenty who lives at home. Our solicitor requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the property is forfeited by the lender. I have two questions (1) Is this form unique to the Barclays conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we bought 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his entitlement to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Barclays. This is solely used to protect Barclays if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Barclays had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
Having sold my house in Harrow Weald last May but my buyer keeps e-mailing me complaining that their conveyancer is waiting to hear from mylawyer. What should have happened now that I have sold?
Following your sale your lawyer is committed to forward the transfer documentation and all of the paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. If applicable, your conveyancer must also confirm that the mortgage has been repaid to the purchasers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion steps unique to conveyancing in Harrow Weald.
I am considering applying for a Clydesdale mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in Harrow Weald with 65 per cent loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Clydesdale ?
In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, but Clydesdale would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same conveyancing matter.
Various internet forums that I have frequented warn that are the primary cause of hinderance in Harrow Weald conveyancing transactions. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Harrow Weald.
I’m about to sell my 2 bed apartment in Harrow Weald. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have recently had a yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?
Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the service charge as normal as all ground rent and service payments should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without success. Can one make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Harrow Weald conveyancing firm to represent me?
in cases where there is a missing freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to determine the price payable.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Harrow Weald property is flat 93b Welldon Crescent in May 2009. The Tribunals valuation for a 90-year lease extension of this fat was £13,171 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 75.25 years.