It is is a decade since I purchased my house in Heathrow. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate the deeds. Is this a problem?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be with the lender or they could stored with the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Heathrow involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it is more problematic but is resolvable.
We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The bank mentioned the home loan came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to appoint their panel lawyer as I would much rather instruct a Heathrow based conveyancing firm?
Do check but the chances are that appoint one of their panel conveyancers where you want the "fee-free" offer. Speak to the mortgage company to explore if they allow a monetary alternative. Some mortgage companies have previously offered a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case that money can go towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor near Heathrow.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Heathrow off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with TSB. 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 TSB, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the TSB conveyancing panel.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Heathrow. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £225. A couple of days later, the conveyancer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Barclays panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Heathrow agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have offered on a flat, but it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other properties booked. I have chosen a high street conveyancing solicitor in Heathrow. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Santander going?
It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then valuation, Heathrow conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you should check that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel. As to the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a rising market many home buyers would apply for the mortgage with Santander and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their property lawyer to press on with searches.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Heathrow?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Heathrow. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
Are there any apps to help search for a Heathrow law firm on the Yorkshire Building Society conveyancing panel? I have wheels and am prepared to travel upto 25miles to meet the solicitor.
You can use the search on this website. Please select a bank and your location and you will see a number of Heathrow conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Heathrow conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can ring them to see if they are on the Yorkshire Building Society approved list
Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Heathrow with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?
- A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Heathrow can be reduced if you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives. If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unsettled. 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 particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved. The majority of landlords or managing agents in Heathrow levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Heathrow. A minority of Heathrow leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors.
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can I apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Heathrow conveyancing firm to represent me?
Most definitely. We can put you in touch with a Heathrow conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Heathrow premises is 147 Redford Close in June 2012. The Tribunal determined the lease extension premium to be at £4,200 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 82.93 years.