It is a dozen years since I bought my property in Hither Green. Conveyancing solicitors have just been retained on the sale but I am unable to track down my deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by the mortgage company or they could be archived with the conveyancers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring current official copies of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Hither Green involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is suspended from the Yorkshire BS Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Hither Green?
First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
We previously selected conveyancing lawyers located in Hither Green on the Bank of Ireland solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate fee for the legal aspects of the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Bank of Ireland?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your solicitor is entitled to charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Bank of Ireland but by your Hither Green conveyancer. Plenty of firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Hither Green. I have a mortgage offer with Barclays. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use 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 Barclays, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Hither Green. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £175. Shortly after, the conveyancer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the UBS 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 UBS 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.
My wife and I are intent on selling our property in Hither Green and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Hither Green conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers used an online conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Hither Green. Having lived in Hither Green for three years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to seek clarification need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same ailment)
I am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Hither Green I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it only has 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Hither Green suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?
Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.
Me and my fiance are expecting to exchange on the purchase a house in Hither Green but as a result of wreckage from the recent storms I have agreed reparation from the owner of four thousand pounds taking the form of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process yet the bank will not agree to this. Should they have been involved?
Your conveyancer being on the bank approved list is obliged to disclose to the lender of any amendments to the sale amount. In the event that you prohibit your solicitor to notify the price change to your bank then they would have no choice but to discontinue representing you and the bank.