My wife and I purchasing a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Hersham. The intention is to an extension at the rear at the property.Will the conveyancing process include enquiries to ascertain if these alterations are allowed?
Your conveyancer should check the deeds as conveyancing in Hersham can sometimes identify restrictions in the title documents which restrict certain changes or need the consent of a 3rd party. Many extensions need local authority planning permissions and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Hersham. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in June 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Nationwide are being problematic. The Hersham solicitor who is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Nationwide are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Nationwide have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Nationwide have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nationwide may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
A friend suggested that where I am buying in Hersham 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 usually included in the estimate for your Hersham conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Hersham around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Hersham Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Hersham Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Hersham.
The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Hersham. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.
Here are examples of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Hersham
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Please supply a car parking plan. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants.
I decided to have a survey completed on a property in Hersham before instructing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. The surveyor advised that some lenders will refuse to issue a mortgage on such a premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different requirements for example to Halifax. If you contact us we can look into this further via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Hersham. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Hersham to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
Am I better off to choose a Hersham conveyancing solicitor based in the area that I am buying? An old friend can execute the legal work but they are based 200miles drive away.
The benefit of a local Hersham conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to sign documents, hand in your identification documents and pester them if necessary. They will also have local insight which is a bonus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust instructed your friend and the majority were impressed that must outweigh using an unknown Hersham conveyancing solicitor just because they are Hersham based.
We own a leasehold flat in Hersham. Conveyancing was finished in 2010. I have been told that I should not let the lease length get too low. Is this correct?
Hersham domestic long term leases are for a prescribed term - often just under one hundred years when they are first granted. However many flats in Hersham were built or converted in the 60’s and so such leases now have fewer than 80 years remaining. This may sound like plenty of time but Banks, Building Societies and other mortgage companies generally require leases to have a minimum of seventy five years unexpired to be mortgageable. Accordingly when you come to sell the property you will need a lease extension if you are nearing eighty years. To maximise your property value you should be thinking about whether or not to extend your lease long before you come to sell it. You should note that there are strong financial reasons to doing so before the lease reaches even eighty years as when the lease falls below 80 years the premium to be paid to extend starts to increase.