I plan on purchasing a maisonette in Hartfield. My property lawyer has never been on on the bank solicitor list. Am I still permitted to continue with my Hartfield conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the mortgage company panel?
You must appoint a lawyer to complete the formalities if you take out a mortgage to buy your home. The solicitor will conduct all the appropriate legal checks on the property, make sure that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage paperwork is in order. You may select a Hartfield lawyer of your choice. However, if the lawyer appointed is not on the bank solicitor panel additional fees will be levied as separate legal representation will be need by the mortgage company. Lender panel applications may be submitted, so if your conveyancer has not in the past applied for membership they should take the opportunity to apply.
I am acquiring a property for cash in Hartfield. I have lived for the last 15 years in Hartfield. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. Given that I have knowledge of the road and vicinity very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?
In the absence of a mortgage, then almost all of the Hartfield conveyancing searches are optional. Your conveyancer will try and steer you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but she has a professional duty to do this. Do consider; if you are going to dispose of the house in the future, it may be of importance to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes properties with no practical issues can still show up adverse search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Hartfield will provide you some helpful advice concerning this.
Is it the case that all Hartfield conveyancing solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Aldermore approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. Many banks do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I have paid off my mortgage with Nottingham. I assume I don't need a Hartfield lawyer on the Nottingham panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Nottingham mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Nottingham mortgage from the register. Nottingham, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Nottingham has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Nottingham has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I have a mortgage with Nationwide for my property in Hartfield. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Nationwide?
Your original mortgage agreement with Nationwide will provide that you need their approval in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nationwide directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel lawyer.
A relative suggested that if I am purchasing in Hartfield 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 sometimes included in the estimate for your Hartfield conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Hartfield around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Hartfield Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Hartfield Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Hartfield.
I'm remortgaging my current property to a buy to let mortgage with Godiva Mortgages Ltd and intend to use the remaining equity towards further property. The location we are looking at is Hartfield. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of lenders and link together the two deals?
Do use our comparison tool on this page to be sure that the conveyancers are on the relevant lender panels. Having checked that they are the lawyer will be able to simultaneously deal with the two transactions but you should have a chat with you solicitor and specify your expectations and requirements.
What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Hartfield conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
If you are instructing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Hartfield 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 speak with several firms including non Hartfield conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be useful:
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What volume of lease extensions have they conducted in Hartfield in the last year?
Leasehold Conveyancing in Hartfield - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? It would be wise to find out as much as possible about the company managing the building as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to practical issues such as the tidiness of the common parts. Ask prospective neighbours whether they are happy with their management. On a final note, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and specifically what it includes. Most Hartfield leasehold properties will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the block levied by the management company. Where you acquire the property you will have to meet this amount, usually in instalments accross the year. This can be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common grounds. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a significant amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to check as sometimes it can be surprisingly expensive.