I have given 2 months notice to my current landlord and have to leave my let out flat in Holborn by 19/8/2025. Conveyancing on my purchase is underway. How realistic is it to complete in 4 weeks as I wish to avoid having to find temporary accommodation?
It is unwise to serve notice on a rental unless your lawyer suggests that you should. Assuming that you have not previously done so, notify to your solicitor and urge them to they chase the other solicitors, try to a target completion date that all parties will aim to achieve
I am considering applying for a Kent Reliance mortgage for purchase of a newly converted (under development) in Holborn with 65 per cent loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Kent Reliance ?
There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but Kent Reliance will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is greater potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.
I am assisting my step-mother sell her flat in Holborn. Does the conveyancing solicitor arrange an energy assessment or do I organise this?
Following the demise of HIPs, energy performance certificates was maintained a compulsory component of moving house. An energy assessment must be to hand in advance of the property being put on the market. It is not a task that conveyancers normally organise. If you are instructing a Holborn conveyancing lawyer they may be able to arrange EPC’s given their relationships with long established local providers
It is unclear whether my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called into my local Holborn building society branch on various occasions and was told it wasn't a problem and they will lend. My Holborn conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they refuse to lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I simply don't know who is right.
As long as the conveyancer is on the bank panel, she or he must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Holborn. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancing practitioner. I paid an advanced payment of £175. Soon after, the property lawyer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Aldermore 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 Aldermore 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 partner and I are selling our home in Holborn and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. Any local lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers used a national conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Holborn. We have lived in Holborn for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to obtain confirmation that there is no issue.
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 illness)
I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one round the corner in Holborn I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Holborn in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?
Should you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Holborn for my house move. Is it possible to check a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
One may review documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations stemming from investigations started on or after Jan 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could monitor call for training purposes.