Our son is about to exchange on a new build apartment in Hartlebury with a home loan from Skipton. His lawyer has advised him of a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?
The form is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Skipton conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Skipton conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Hartlebury what would it be?
It would be unwise to be tempted by the cheapest Hartlebury conveyancing quote. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. 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 go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
I am expecting a DIP from Santander this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Santander recommend any Hartlebury solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Hartlebury solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Santander conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Santander through the process.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Hartlebury off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Coventry BS. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Coventry BS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel.
I purchased a semi-detached Edwardian house in Hartlebury. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Nottingham Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Hartlebury and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.
How does conveyancing in Hartlebury differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Hartlebury contact us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because house builders in Hartlebury typically acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Hartlebury or who has acted in the same development.
I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Hartlebury before appointing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will refuse to grant a mortgage on this type of house.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can check with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Hartlebury. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Hartlebury to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
Am I best advised to use a Hartlebury conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am buying? An old friend can perform the legal work but her office is a couple of hundredkilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a local Hartlebury conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to execute paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local insight which is a benefit. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who used your friend and they were content that must outweigh using an unknown Hartlebury conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.