I was referred a solicitor who has quoted £1200 for fixed fee conveyancing in Hatch End. I’m selling a Victorian house for £250,000. Are the quoted fees excessive? Is it above what I should be paying for conveyancing in Hatch End?
The charges are a little high. If you shop around you could trim some of the expense by say a hundred pounds. On the other hand, you couldlive to rue opting for an an unknown lawyer. If is important to be sure the firm can also act for your lender. You can utilise our comparison tool to locate a Hatch End conveyancing firm on the lender’s member panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Hatch End.
I am considering applying for a Santander mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in Hatch End with 65 per cent LTV. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Santander ?
In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Santander conveyancing panel, but Santander 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 transaction.
I have been told that property searches are a common reason for stalling in Hatch End conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Hatch End.
My wife and I have a terraced Edwardian property in Hatch End. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Santander. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Hatch End and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.
I was pointed in your direction by a couple of local estate agents in Hatch End to select a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to recommend your services over and above alternative conveyancing organisations?
We don’t give any referral fee for sending work to this site. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as members of the public would think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.
Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Seventy years remaining on my flat in Hatch End. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What should I do?
If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to track down the lessor. In some cases a specialist would be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Hatch End.
I am the registered owner of a garden flat in Hatch End. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the premium due for the purchase of the freehold?
if there is a absentee landlord or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to decide the price payable.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Hatch End flat is Flats 8, 11 and 15 Craigmore Court 46 Murray Road in December 2013. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 8 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,438 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenants of Flat 11 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,791 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 15 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,638 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . This case related to 3 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 71 years.