My wife and I are purchasing a 1 bedroom flat in Houghton Regis with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Houghton Regis lawyer, but the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have little option but to instruct one of the lender panel firms or retain our Houghton Regis property lawyer and pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. We consider that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Houghton Regis conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Finally the sale completed on my house in Houghton Regis last July yet the purchaser is whats apping daily to say her solicitor is waiting to hear from myconveyancer. What should have happened following completion?
Following your sale your conveyancer should forward the transfer documentation and all of the paperwork to the purchaser's lawyers. Where relevant, your solicitor must also confirm that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been paid off to the purchasers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion steps specific conveyancing in Houghton Regis.
My aunt pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Houghton Regis there could be a number of restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external changes to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of anumerous of properties in Houghton Regis which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Houghton Regis should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
We expect to receive a DIP from Coventry BS this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Coventry BS recommend any Houghton Regis solicitors on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Houghton Regis solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Coventry BS through the process.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in July 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Nottingham are being a right pain. The Houghton Regis solicitor who is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Nottingham are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Nottingham have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Nottingham have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nottingham 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.
I need some fast conveyancing in Houghton Regis as I am faced with an ultimatum to sign on the dotted line within 2 weeks. Luckily I do not require a mortgage. Can I escape the need for conveyancing searches to save fees and time?
If.Given you are are a mortgage free buyer you are at free not to have searches conducted although no lawyer would recommend that you don't. Drawing on years of experience of conveyancing in Houghton Regis the following are instances of issues that can appear and therefore impact future mortgageability: Refused Planning Applications, Outstanding Charges, Overdue Grants, Unadopted Roads,...
Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Houghton Regis with the intention of speeding up the sale process?
- Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Houghton Regis can be avoided if you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers’ conveyancers. Many landlords or managing agents in Houghton Regis charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Houghton Regis. If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved. Some Houghton Regis leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the yearly 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.
Houghton Regis Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing
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Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability? It would be prudent to discover if the the lease contains any unreasonable restrictions in the lease. For instance it is reasonably common in Houghton Regis leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Houghton Regis. If you love the apartmentin Houghton Regis however your dog can’t move with you then you have a very difficult determination. This question is helpful as a) areas may cause problems for the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to have all the details
I need to review quotes for conveyancing in Houghton Regis from various lawyer and choose one. Am I right to ask them to hold tight until I have found somewhere to acquire.
You should wait to get your lawyer to commence work and apply for searches after the sales confirmation has been sent by the estate agent particularly as Houghton Regis conveyancing searches are not inexpensive.